


The Storm Before the Calm

by alecmagnuslwb



Series: Together or Not At All: Malec Power Rangers AU [6]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Power Rangers, M/M, Multi, also some light Maryse/Luke on the side, they're all in college now so no longer a hs au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-11-27 04:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18189689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alecmagnuslwb/pseuds/alecmagnuslwb
Summary: Three years after defeating Lilith, things have changed for the team, Alec and Magnus are comfortably settled into their lives and relationship while Simon, Isabelle and Maia wrap up their Freshman years of college. But what is supposed to be an easy summer trip home quickly shifts when a new enemy rises for revenge and a new Ranger is reluctantly brought into the fold.A follow up to the Malec Power Rangers (2017) AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, here we go! So I was going to wait until I was done writing it to start posting, but since I'm doing this one a little differently I wanted some feedback as I keep working on it from some of the people who've enjoyed this whole AU trip. 
> 
> Magnus and Alec are definitely still the focus and core of the story, but I'm going to try and give some time to the trio more so as well (and in this first chapter for the purposes of starting the story off, some other perspectives as well.). This one's likely going to be about 5 to 6 chapters! So, enjoy!

Alpha had spent hundreds of years alone, waiting until the new set of rangers awoke. He’s known loneliness and even welcomed solitude.

That being said, he’s been having a very hard time being alone since all the rangers headed away for college. Alec and Magnus had gone first, off to New York to start a new chapter of their life together. Alpha missed the couple, but still had Maia, Simon and Isabelle to keep him company, but now they’re gone too scattered across the country finishing up their Freshman years at Columbia, Berklee and Stanford respectively.

Their group movie nights had become a staple of Alpha’s week, now Friday nights are spent here wandering the caverns and swinging his feet back and forth from the old platforms of the ship while listening to whatever music Simon has sent him lately. He’s happy for the Rangers, but there’s not nearly as much excitement in Alpha’s life these days.

He’s wandering around in circles, some boppy, pop song blasting from the speakers of the ship that would no doubt annoy Ithuriel if he ever chose to pop his head up every now and then. He’s getting into the beat, moving his metal arms around a bit when a piercing beeping sound interrupts the chorus, a red light frantically blinking in the center of the platforms.

“No,” he whispers rushing to the console of buttons to the side. “Sir!” he yells frantically attempting to wake Ithuriel from his digital slumber. “Sir!”

The light blinks faster as Alpha yells.

“What is it Alpha?” Ithuriel’s voice booms, his hovering face appearing in the center as it always does.  

“The green ranger has been activated, sir,” he explains rushing uncontrollably, almost slipping from the edge of one of the platforms to face Ithuriel.

“Is it her?” Ithuriel asks gravely.

Alpha pauses, the beeping sound stops though the light continues to blink, “I’m not sure, should I alert the rangers?”

Ithuriel pauses contemplation written all over his face, “Not yet,” he finally says after a series of painfully quiet moments. “Not until we can be certain.”

“Track the stone, confirm first,” he says with no room for argument.

Alpha nods. He wants to argue, wants to send out a text to the team now, warn them that Lilith may have survived despite their efforts. He runs to the console to get to work, resisting the itch to reach for his phone.

***

“Well?” Alec asks expectantly as Magnus approaches the table he and Maia have been sitting at, chatting idly while they waited for Magnus to finish up his last final. Alec had finished up for the year at NYU while Maia herself had crushed her first Marine Biology course that morning beckoning Alec to come wait with her on their campus.

“Definitely managed at least a C+,” Magnus says with a relieved sigh, no doubt overjoyed to never have to take another math course in his life after his rather disastrous attempt at the very same course Freshman year.

“I knew you’d do it babe,” Alec says standing to pull Magnus into a hug, before tugging him to the table to sit tucked into his side. Maia smiles wide rolling her eyes at the pair as they sit across from her.

“And never do it again,” he says blissfully. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I can’t wait to go back to the Grove for a few weeks.”

With their internships not beginning until June he and Magnus had decided to appease their mothers, returning home for the few short weeks of freedom they’ll have. They haven’t been home for more than Christmas since they started college and he’s surprised to see that he completely agrees with Magnus.  

“About that,” Maia starts, a little dread in her voice.

“No,” Magnus says jumping up a bit from where he’d comfortably slouched into Alec’s side, the summer breeze picks up as he moves brushing his dark hair across his eyes a bit. “No backing out, we’ve been planning this for months.”

Maia had originally planned to spend the whole summer in her dorm, being eligible for summer housing with an internship in the University’s Biology department, but with her internship also not starting officially till June Alec and Magnus had coaxed her into the trip home.

“I think it’ll just be easier,” Maia says. “I can check on your guys apartment every now and then, water the plants you know.”

“We don’t have any plants,” Alec interjects.

“Okay, then I’ll just open the windows,” she says rolling her eyes at Alec. He gets why she’s coming up with last minute excuses and he can’t say he blames her. After their graduation Maia, Simon and Isabelle had consciously chosen to split, too scattered across the country to make what they had last had been the practiced reason they gave everyone. Too scared to hold each other back had been the unspoken part of it.

“You know you could just talk to them,” Magnus says gently.

“Nope,” Maia says immediately. “We’re just friends, we all made a decision and that’s that.”

It’s a staple answer they’ve grown accustomed to hearing when they broach the subject. Alec and Magnus have found themselves frustratingly stuck in the middle of it all, making promises to each of the trio to not interfere. Alec knows Isabelle misses Maia and Simon like crazy, though he’s never said it directly he can tell Simon is lonely as well and though Magnus may be closer with her, it’s clear that Maia hasn’t come anywhere near to falling out of love with Simon and Iz. Alec’s a fixer, it’s the big brother in him, and all he wants to do is piece the three of them back together, but he can’t, he has to let them do that for themselves.

That being said a little gentle coaxing to getting all three of them in the same place at the same time really can’t qualify as interfering, that’s just common visit your family decency.

“Well, friends tend to spend their summer breaks together,” Alec smiles, he knows that despite their claim of friendship the three barely ever speak outside of their Ranger group chat. The three haven’t been in the same space since their break-up, even managing to be just scattered during the holiday season. Maybe he can’t fix their romantic relationship, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t fight for his friends to actually be friends.

Maia sighs, dropping her head to study a particularly uninteresting crack in the stone table intently, “I guess.”

Magnus and Alec share a look, one of those looks that Maia is convinced allows them to communicate telepathically. Alec nods his head at Magnus, knowing they’re on the same page.

“Hey,” Alec says gently in his best big brother voice. “Look, it might be hard, but you can’t avoid them forever.” Maia looks up and sighs, the five of them are all too tangled together for her to never face this music and it’s clear she knows it. “Things might be weird, but you were all friends first I’m sure you can be again.”

“Plus,” Magnus jumps in. “If things get really weird, Alec and I will be there and we’ll break up any tension by oversharing about our relationship with Alpha which is a guaranteed laugh and distraction.”

Maia smiles at that chuckling a bit, “Okay,” she says nodding her head in agreement. “Okay, I’ll still go.”

Magnus claps his hands triumphantly.

“It’ll be a fun, easy couple of weeks,” Alec smiles at his boyfriend’s enthusiastic excitement, before turning to Maia big brother mode back one. “I promise.”

Magnus and Maia launch into finalizing their mini road trip plans for the next day and Alec listens on with a smile, excited for the stress-free weeks ahead with his favorite people.

***

Alpha pockets his phone in his metal chest plate, ignoring his string of texts from the Rangers with arrival times for the next day. He creeps along the edge of a familiar ridge of rocks not far from where his Rangers all first collided that fateful night that changed everything. The signal for the green ranger’s stone had quieted after announcing itself Friday night, but 24 hours later to the dot it popped back up Alpha quickly tracking it down.

He hears the shuffle of rubble just over the line of rocks he hides behind. He doesn’t have to breathe for survival, but if he did now would be the time to take a deep preparing breath. When he peeks his head over the ridge there’s a chance he’ll see the mangled revived body of their thought to be destroyed enemy and he hopes against all that’s not what awaits them. He doesn’t want his Rangers to face that same fight again, they deserve to live and he doesn’t know if they can stop her a second time without the crystal.

He gears himself up, popping his head over the edge just enough to see and not alert whoever’s there to his presence. He pauses tilting his head, grateful but confused as he sees a young girl kicking rocks around dismayed. She’s definitely not Lilith, she’s short with a long dark ponytail high on top of her head, she can’t be much younger than his Rangers. She shuffles around again, taking in her surroundings before pulling something from her pocket.

The stone, glowing bright and green pulses in the girl’s hand and Alpha gasps. The sound earns her attention head tilting in his direction as he hides himself back behind the large rock again. She steps closer, “Hello?” she shouts out quietly.

Alpha stays perfectly still, his first introduction to his Rangers hadn’t been the most eloquently handled and he doubts popping up from behind this rock would do anything but terrify this girl. She steps even closer, rocks crunching under her feet when she stills her phone ringing with the same poppy song Alpha had been listening to just the night before ironically.

The girl answers the phone, a hushed conversation that Alpha can only catch a few words of before she hangs up. Her footsteps retreat from him so he dares to peer back over the edge, watching as the girl steps close to the thick rock wall the ships lie just beneath. She whispers something to herself under her breath and takes off running.

“A new ranger,” Alpha says in awe once she’s gone standing to his full height on the rock he’d been hiding behind.

A new Ranger with a stone and power that holds a lot of scary, dark past that no doubt has left this young girl terrified and inexplicably drawn here.

***

Aline Penhallow stands staring at a broken rock wall confused. She can’t figure out why she came here, why ever since she tripped over a broken piece of glowing sidewalk in the town square of her new home she’s felt off. She feels more alert than ever before, stronger too and she has no clue what it means or why when driving home she’d taken a turn to this quarry. She takes the glowing rock from her pocket and turns it over in her hands.

She suddenly feels like someone’s watching her when a small noise comes from behind her. She shifts to investigate, pulled away when her phone blares. A quick conversation with her mother who’s less than pleased about her tardiness and the feeling of being watched is the last thing on Aline’s mind.

She turns back to the wall with a sigh, “Why am I here?” she asks to no one in particular before pocketing the green stone and taking off in a run much faster than the one she would have been able to achieve just yesterday.

***

“I’m so glad you’re home!” Maryse announces arms open wide as she greets Alec and Magnus on the porch. She pulls Alec into a tight hug that makes him squirm before doing the same to Magnus. The hug is tight and warm and a little bone crunching, but he never thought he’d receive such a welcome from Alec’s mother so he can’t complain.

They’ve chosen to stay with Magnus’ mother, still a little too traumatized from the February Debacle from years ago to stay in the Lightwood home, who’d given them the same treatment acting as if the pair hadn’t been home in five years, not five months.

“It’s good to see you too, Ms. Trueblood,” Magnus says smiling as they pull back from the hug.

“Just because I finally changed it back doesn’t mean you have to use it,” she smiles, hands still strong and comforting on his shoulders. “It’s still Maryse to family.”

Family. It still rocks Magnus a bit every time one of the Lightwood clan uses it so easily in reference to him, he’d gotten so used to family just being him and his mom for so long even after three years with Alec it still feels all so new.

Maryse ushers them inside, eager to hear updates about their lives in the city. Isabelle’s waiting for them in the kitchen, hopping down off the counter as soon as she spots them and rushes to embrace them just as bone crushingly as her mother had. She looks good Magnus notes as he pulls back from her embrace, extra tan from the California sun and a smile on her face. She’s staying the whole summer here, just her and Maryse with Jace at summer training and Max at camp and though she’d initially complained when Alec told her of their plans to stay with Magnus’ mother, he knows she’s secretly delighted to spend the time alone with her mom.

The most like Maryse of the Lightwood children, fixing things with Isabelle had taken the longest. Isabelle’s revelation of her relationship with Simon and Maia had strangely been the thing that had truly turned the tides. While Maryse’s confused expression as Isabelle, Maia and Simon had sat her down along with Luke and Elaine Lewis to explain had been almost comical but it had also been just as loving as the one she had when she’d met Magnus for the first time. Maryse had become unexpectedly invested in her daughter’s relationship, eager to get to know Maia and Simon. Admittedly the relationship allowed her an excuse to spend more time with Luke as well which likely played a factor.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she says arms still wrapped around her big brother. “I’ve missed you guys so much.”

Alec responds in kind kissing the top of his baby sisters head.

“Where’s Maia?” she asks a little hesitantly and it’s clear to Magnus she’s in the same limbo he’s watched his friend wallow in for a year.

“At Luke’s,” Magnus says and spots Maryse’s head perk up in interest which makes him laugh. It’s no secret that Maia’s guardian and Maryse have been spending a whole lot of time together since their children all left the nest. After almost two years of often awkward to witness flirting it makes Magnus happy to know Maryse is so happy. “She promised Clary she’d go there first since she can’t be home for another couple of weeks.”

Izzy nods in understanding but says nothing else. Magnus knows they’re not supposed to interfere, but he really wants to play fix-it matchmaker over these next few weeks.

Maryse pulls them all to sit at the kitchen table, talking their ears off and listening with a smile as they tell her about New York. When they ask her about Luke, she shyly gives them a short answer about being fine, but Magnus won’t let it rest.

“A lot more than fine according to my mom,” Magnus smirks as she tries to sway the conversation. Maryse might be coy about the whole thing, but Magnus’ mom has become their number one supporter, even borderline forcing them into their first real date.

“Ndari,” Maryse grumbles fondly, her friendship with Magnus’ mother has become dear to her he knows and it pleases him and Alec to know end. Even if it results in a tag teamed smothering of motherly love most of the time. She talks a little more about Luke until dinner hour nears. Ndari joins them and it’s a small, content family affair.

Magnus stands in the kitchen afterwards the soft tones of Maryse, his mother and Isabelle all laughing in the background as he washes the dishes. Footsteps near him and he’s ready for it when Alec’s arms come around his waist in a tight hold. Magnus shifts his neck giving Alec the space to place a light kiss there before resting his chin on Magnus’ shoulder. The sway quietly as Magnus dries the final dish shifting to place it on the rack with the rest before settling back into Alec more firmly.

Their quiet moment is interrupted when both their phones ping simultaneously along with Isabelle’s from the living room.

“It’s probably just Simon asking when we’re meeting up,” Alec say electing to ignore his phone. The ping happens again and again, persistently four times. Alec groans leaning back from Magnus reluctantly as they shift to check their phones.

_[from: Alpha to: RangerRobo Chat 7:05]_

_Hello!_

_I’m very glad you’re all home!_

_Not an emergency of any sort, but it’s urgent that I see you all._

_Again, not an emergency, a totally chill situation that we should discuss in the next 30 minutes:)._

“Well, that means it’s definitely an emergency,” Isabelle says as she enters the kitchen phone in hand prompting Magnus and Alec to turn around.

Magnus sighs texting Simon and Maia to confirm where they’ll meet in 30 minutes before pocketing his phone and reaching out for Alec’s hand.

“I get the distinct feeling our stress-free weeks are about to be a lot less stress free,” Magnus says with a sigh looking at Alec’s pretty and disappointed face. He understands the feeling.

***

Isabelle knows she’s quite the whole ride up to the quarry, she can see the worry in her brother’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. But she’s not worried about whatever it is Alpha needs to tell them, no she’s worried about seeing Maia and Simon. They barely ever speak, but she knows enough about what’s been going on with them, particularly Maia with her time spent with Magnus and Alec. She’s worried that she won’t be able to act like she’s still totally fine with the breakup when she sees them and more than that she’s worried that if they can’t even act like friends over text, they won’t be able to meet each other’s eyes in person.

Magnus pulls the car to a stop right by where they always used to meet on the backside of the quarry, parking alongside Simon’s van and what Isabelle thinks is actually Clary’s jeep. Maia and Simon are already there leaning by the entrance clearly mid-conversation. Magnus and Alec get out first rounding the front of the car where Alec’s slips his hand into Magnus’ immediately. The movement makes Izzy’s lips quirk up, even with her own internal romantic struggle seeing her brother so carefree and happy never ceases to make her smile.

She takes a deep breath exiting the car. Maia laughs at something Simon says which makes him smile and god she hadn’t let herself feel just how much she’d missed them both until now. Simon spots her first, pulling her into a hug as a greeting. They pull back Isabelle sharing a quiet hello with Maia over Simon’s shoulder as she watches Magnus and Alec step into the cavern entrance leaving the three to their reunion.

They don’t say much, just a few shy smiles and stilted beginnings of conversation, but it’s something. Something that makes Isabelle feel a little lighter, feel that maybe the sparks still there, maybe they can at least all really be friends.

***

Alpha bulldozes into Alec’s legs and if it weren’t for his grip on Magnus’ hand he’s certain he’d fall flat on his back.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you all,” Alpha shouts, frisbee head lighting up excitedly as he moves to run into Magnus’ legs then the trios as they come in behind them. They all seem a little quiet, but not nearly as uncomfortable as he’d worried they’d be, no doubt Alpha’s exuberance easing the tension a bit more.

“Hey, buddy,” Simon says crouching down to Alpha’s level for a real hug. The hug lasts way longer than any human/robot hug probably should, Alpha rambling on about all the movies he’s watched and songs he’s listened to per Simon’s suggestion. Alec coughs to get Alpha’s attention knowing that if someone doesn’t stop him now, they’ll never find out why they’re actually here, so he asks just that.

“Right,” Alpha says straightening up and beckoning them forward to the old familiar platforms. “That little thing.”

Ithuriel’s face fizzles in the center of the platforms once they’re all near and before any of them can so much as extend a greeting his voice booms.

“A new ranger has risen,” he says without preamble.

The five of them look at each other with wide eyes. Maia speaks up first voice just as incredulous as Alec feels, “A new Ranger?”

Alpha puts his small metal hands on his shaking head off to the side and grumbles lowly, “So much for letting them in on it easy.”

“It seems somehow, Lilith’s stone worked it’s way to the surface,” Ithuriel continues on. “A worthy young woman found it and activated it Friday night, Alpha believes her name is Aline.”

“I thought her stone and everything that came with it was eviscerated right along with her?” Alec says.

Ithuriel’s head shakes, “A stone and the power it passes on can never truly be destroyed, simply made dormant. We safely assumed hers would remain buried for generations but it seems we were wrong.”

“So, there’s some girl here in town who woke up with superpowers just like we did three years ago, but she’s all alone?” Isabelle asks. 

“It would seem so,” Ithuriel says.

“Wait,” Magnus says stepping closer to Ithuriel’s floating form. “You said Friday?” Ithuriel nods. “It’s Sunday which means you’ve known about this for two days and didn’t think to tell us immediately?”

“You would be arriving soon anyways,” Ithuriel says logically. “We assumed it to be Lilith re-risen at first and didn’t wish to alarm you unnecessarily if we were wrong.”

“That seems like something we definitely should have been told immediately,” Alec growls.

Alpha jumps up from where he’s sat on one of the platforms, “I would like the record to show I disagreed with waiting to tell you.”

Almost in unison the five of them shoot glares at the small robot who sits back down quickly.

“Seeing as we were wrong in our first assumption it was the correct choice,” Ithuriel says just as calmly, as if the possible resurrection of a woman who nearly destroyed the world and killed them all is no big deal.

“Kind of not the point,” Magnus says icily.

“The point is unimportant in this case,” Ithuriel says which breaks out an argument amongst them all voices raising over one another. Clearly, they’d all forgotten just how much of an ass Ithuriel could be, all too business like and logical at times.

Simon’s voice tries to break through and Alec notices the dejected look as he’s over taken by someone at every turn. He hasn’t had to do it for a long time, but he’s still the leader of this team the least he can do is break up a fight so Simon can say his peace.

“Enough!” he yells, his deep voice silencing them all. “Simon’s got something to say,” he says softer tilting his head in Simon’s direction.

Simon smiles in thanks, “Right so obviously not telling us was bad,” he starts pleading with Maia as he sees her turn to start arguing with Ithuriel again. She relents. “But that can’t be our focus right now, this girl should be. I mean she’s all alone in this and maybe there’s not an evil force trying to destroy the world this time, but she’s still got all this power in her and no clue where it came from, we have to help her.”

“Simon’s right,” Alec says, taking back his lead. “We all had our world’s turned upside down, but we had each other, she’s doesn’t. She’s already been on her own with this for two days, we can’t let her be any longer.”

Magnus points to Alpha, “Do you know who she is?”

“Yes,” Alpha says scurrying to stand. He pulls open his chest plate and plugs himself into the console off to the side, an image of a girl not much younger than all of them appears. “Aline Penhallow. She came to the quarry, I saw her and then used this photo to cross-reference with the Twitters and found a match.” The image shifts from the slightly blurred photo from Alpha’s memory banks to a clearer shot Alec assumes Alpha took from her social media. “She’s about to enter her senior year, just moved to Idris Grove and very much does not like it here. Which honestly, I don’t understand, I mean it’s small, but quite delightful if I do say so myself…”

Alec looks pointedly at Alpha which quiets the beginning of his ramble.

“I can get an address from Luke,” Maia says.

Alec nods at her, “We can’t just show up on this girl’s doorstep tonight, we’ll go in the morning, first thing.”

Everyone nods in agreement as Alec turns back to Ithuriel, “Anything else we need to know?”

“Not at the moment,” Ithuriel says, disappearing from view. Alec doesn’t like the cryptic air of the statement, but right now his focus has to be on helping this girl so he puts it on the backburner of his mind.

***

After a series of apologies from Alpha, who they all assure they are in no way angry with, they part ways for the night. A little while later tucked into the comfort of his old bedroom Magnus slides into bed beside Alec, allowing himself to be pulled in close to his boyfriend’s chest.

Magnus traces random patterns into the cotton of Alec’s t-shirt as he settles.

“It’s not fair,” Magnus says into the night. Alec hums urging him to continue. “I know we didn’t all sign up for the Ranger thing either, but at least we had each other and there was a reason, but this poor girl just found the wrong rock and now we have to destroy her entire world view.”

Alec’s quiet for a few moments clearly contemplating his response. His fingers trace down Magnus’ spine as he speaks softly, “We survived it and we had to stop an apocalypse on top of it. We’ll make sure she does too, without the major life threat.”

“You’re right,” Magnus says snuggling in impossibly closer. “So much for stress free, huh?” he adds as an afterthought with a laugh.

Alec chuckles and Magnus feels it in Alec’s chest where his head rests more than hears it, “We should have known this town wouldn’t give us stress free. At least it’s not a maniacal entity hell bent on destroying the world this time.”

He’s right at least it’s not that.

***

She wakes with a start and knows immediately something is wrong. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, she wasn’t meant to wake alone. It takes too long for her strength to be regained, for her to be able to fit in amongst everyone without notice, just another girl and not who she truly is, but once it does, she hears the stories the humans tell of the angry green woman defeated by five metal aliens in a small town. Rangers. Again. Always getting in the way of what should be.

Lilith is already gone, ash under the ground. The crystal and its power shielded better than ever before from evil reaches. But the crystal was never what she wanted, she just wanted to stand at Lilith’s side. She can’t now, so she thinks revenge will have to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: the team officially meets Aline, the villain makes her presence known, Magnus and Alec act like an old married couple and maybe the trio can really and truly be friends!
> 
> Until then, find me on tumblr: alecmagnuslwb


	2. Chapter 2

“Maybe one of you should knock,” Alec says gesturing to his sister and Maia with his hand frozen halfway to knocking on Aline Penhallow’s front door.

“You’re supposed to be the leader here,” Maia says with a shrug.

Alec rolls his eyes at her, “I’m also a 6’3 guy who’s self-aware enough to know that I can look pretty intimidating and lack tact from time to time.”

“It’s true,” Magnus says smiling fondly up at his boyfriend.

“And I’m the queen of tact,” Maia drawls out at her friend just to annoy him. Maia is a woman of many talents, but part of why her and Alec get along so well stems from their bluntness.  

Isabelle huffs pushing in front of them both and knocks in three quick loud beats, flipping her hair back over her shoulder and glaring at them. It doesn’t have the effect Isabelle was hoping for though when Maia just laughs and Alec rolls his eyes once again.

Not even three seconds pass before a severe looking woman with long dark hair answers the door, the way she carries herself makes Maia and Alec immediately straighten up, well straighten up physically, Isabelle thinks making herself laugh.

“Can I help you?” she says her tone clipped, clearly no time for random strangers knocking on her door or Izzy’s internal jokes.

Izzy puts on her best crowd-pleasing smile before responding, “Hi, we’re friends of Aline’s and we were just looking for her.”

“My daughter hasn’t mentioned any new friends,” the woman brushes off arms defiantly placed on her hips like she’s daring a group of kids to question her.

“Well we just met, very fresh friends, so she probably hasn’t had the chance,” Isabelle continues with a bright smile, unperturbed by the woman’s tone. “We just wanted to take her out, let her get to know the town a little more you know?”

Aline’s mother studies them all lingering on each of their faces for a long moment before relenting and shouting for her daughter then turning away and ignoring their group completely.

The young girl is at the door seconds later, looking just like the photo Alpha had pulled up of her.

“Next time you make new friends, I’d like to be informed,” her mother says not too quietly before walking away briskly. Aline looks confused by the statement, which Isabelle can’t blame her for since they’ve fictionalized an entire friendship with this girl just to get the door open.

“Um, hi,” she says uncertainty peering at their little group. “Do I know you know you guys?”

“I’m Isabelle,” she says reaching out her hand that Aline takes briefly before Izzy gestures to their group one by one. “That’s Maia, Simon, my brother Alec and his husband Magnus.”

Aline looks even more confused now as Alec shoves his sister lightly no doubt an annoyed look on his face. Izzy ignores it though, focusing entirely on the girl whose whole world is about to change.

“We need to talk,” she continues. When she hears Aline’s mother shuffling around in the background she adds quietly, “Privately.”

“Look,” Aline starts, stepping back ready to close the door. “I appreciate it you’re like from the school trying to welcome the new girl or whatever, but I’m not really gonna be here for very long, I’m an 18-year-old whose capable of making her own friends and I’m not in the market to build a squad or anything so thanks, but no thanks.“

The door begins to shut in her face and in what Izzy is sure might come off as an aggressive move, but the only one she’s got she sticks the toe of her heel in stopping Aline from shutting it completely. Aline moves to speak whipping the door back open, but Izzy beats her to it.

“You found a green stone not too long ago and since then you’ve been feeling weird right, different?” Izzy says making Aline’s eyes widen in recognition. “Maybe stronger, faster, definitely more alert to your surroundings and for some reason you can’t quite place you keep finding yourself wanting to go out to the quarry, right?”

“How do you know that?” Aline questions. “Who the hell are you people?”

Izzy roots into the pocket of her jeans pulling out the pink stone that’s become an odd source of comfort that she never keeps far from her and shows it to the still wide-eyed girl.

“We’re just like you and we want to help,” Izzy says with a real genuine smile.

***

It takes a little more convincing, but Aline decides she’s willing to hear them out apologizing for her initial somewhat brush reaction to them. They all assure her they understand, Maia in particular just shrugs and says with an understanding smile, “Being the new girl is always tough.”

Her mother leaves for work side eyeing their group as she leaves and Aline ushers them into the living room. An hour later she’s pacing the floor at a rate that Alec’s concerned might literally burn a hole into the floor.

“And you guys call yourselves the Power Rangers?” she says for at least the fourth time.

They’ve been delicately explaining to her what she is now, what her powers mean and the battle they’ve already fought. She’d taken it better than predicted, up until they told her about Lilith. Then she’d started to panic. She told them about how she found the rock in the rubble near the town square fountain and woke up the next day with a blaring headache and the ability to lift her bed with one hand. He’d been scared the morning he’d woken up, but he’d had a sister busting in his door with the same panic, then Magnus crawling through his window moments later. They’d had each other from the start and every step after. Aline however has spent days alone with it and no answers.

“Well technically we didn’t come up with the name, but yeah,” Alec says.

“And I’m one too, but my stone belonged to an evil sorceress that you all stopped from killing the world or something?” she rushes out in one breath. “I mean why me?”

“Why did you get stuck with the evil sorceress stone or why did you find it at all?” Alec asks.

“Both?” she says uncertain.

She’s had a lot of questions, most of which are easy to answer, but the why behind these powers is a mystery to even Ithuriel it seems so Alec tells her just that.

“We don’t know,” he says truthfully. “None of us really know why we were chosen, but we were and as far as the evil sorceress you don’t have anything to worry about, she’s long gone.”

“Yeah, but I’ve got the powers that were linked to her once and if she went crazy, what if I go crazy?”

Alec pauses he’s not sure what to say that will make her panic less. Unless Ithuriel has another massive secret up his sleeve, the stones give the power but the power is up to the person who wields it. Lilith chose to go dark, chose to be hungry for more, those desires shouldn’t translate along with the power itself. Even if that’s the case he can understand not wanting to make the mistakes of those before you.

“The power is yours now, not hers,” Magnus interjects always knowing when Alec needs backup. “You’re not her and what you do with that power is up to you, just because it’s history isn’t all that pretty doesn’t mean history has to repeat itself.”

Aline shakes her head in understanding her pacing slowing down a bit at Magnus’ reassuring words. Alec smiles at his boyfriend lightly from where he sits across from him always in awe of the way he can set a person’s mind at ease.

“Take Alec for example,” Simon jumps in with glee. “He’s the red ranger and I mean I’d never say it to his face because he scares me a little but the last red ranger isn’t exactly rocking the most winning personality. He can be a real dick and Alec’s totally not.”

Alec appreciates the sentiment.

Aline huffs a laugh at that her pacing finally coming to a halt, “You’re floating head boss?”

“I wouldn’t call him our boss,” Magnus says. “More like our advisor. We don’t always listen to him.”

Aline nods again in understanding, Alec gets the sense she sees her mother as a similar sort of figure.

“So, what does all this mean for me?” she asks finally taking a seat on the couch next to Izzy and Maia.

“Right now, it just means you have friends who can understand,” Alec says. “The world’s not ending, but you do still have this power and whether you want to do something with it or not is up to you. We’d like to help you learn how to control it though, I’m betting you’ve had a few mishaps?”

“Mishaps,” Aline chuckles darkly. “Try explaining to your mother how the hatchback of your car got pulled off by sheer force.”

“We’ve all had a hatchback incident,” Maia smiles patting Aline on the shoulder comfortingly.

“So how do you help me?” she asks looking around at each of them.

“Training is how we all got it under control,” Alec says.

“Does that mean what I think it means?” Maia groans. Alec shrugs sympathetically cause yeah that means exactly what she thinks it means. The pit.

***

A few hours later Alpha is over the damn moon about Aline. He greets her with a hug just like he would any of them and the look on her face is so priceless Maia wishes she could take a picture. He grabs her by the hand dragging her around the ship to show her everything, talking excitedly every step of the way. She looks over to their group every so often with an expression that screams ‘help me,’ but Maia can only chuckle in response.

“And she thought being told she has super powers was a lot,” Isabelle whispers nudging Maia’s shoulder in a way that feels a lot like friendship. It’s nice, it’s disappointing on some level in the back of her mind that she’s trying to ignore, but it is nice.

Introducing Aline to Ithuriel goes about the same way as it had when they all first met except they don’t let him try to make her pull up her armor immediately like he’d done with them. He’s all business and vague warnings about responsibility before Alpha takes the lead of being actually welcoming grabbing Aline by the hand again and taking her down to the pit.

“It’s been far too long since I’ve been down here!” Alpha exclaims as he practically skips his way there their group trailing behind him all shaking their heads fondly.

It doesn’t really take five people to help one girl learn to fight, especially when the pressure that existed when they were all learning isn’t looming, but they all stick around anyways. They did this as a team the first time around and they’ll do this as a team too.

Aline stands in the center of the pit Alpha shaking her arms out like he’s her corner man in a boxing ring while Alec and Magnus stand close off to the side whispering something to one another. They’d tried a first round with Maia, but she’d gone a little too hard at Aline apologizing profusely and then lifting herself onto a nearby boulder as Magnus took the reins.

She smiles as Alpha throws a fake out punch at Aline’s shoulder and she playfully bats it down. It feels like high school again in some ways, a tiny robot quickly working his way into the hearts of a person surrounded by her four favorite humans as well. But she’s starkly reminded it’s not high school when she catches Izzy’s eye from across the pit, because high school was a simpler time.  

If they were still in high school, she’d be sure of what to say when Simon hauls himself up onto the boulder next to her, not remain silent. If they were still in high school, they’d brush hands and maybe even share a quick kiss, then do the same when Izzy walks over planting herself on Maia’s other side. But no, now they’re all adults and things are complicated. They had talked the day before, which was something far less awkward than she’d expected it to be, but there’s still an air of strangeness between them. She’s still in deep, but can’t afford to break her own heart if they aren’t too. But she also wants them to be friends if that’s all they can be, because she doesn’t see a version of her life that completely negates the two people beside her. They’re sitting so close together, but they feel miles apart.

She wants to say something, anything, to ease the tension a little and from the corner of her eye she can see Izzy wanting to do the same thing. But just like when they’d first gotten together and just like when they’d started the conversation about what they were going to do once they graduated, Simon is the first to speak up.

“It’s nice being back here,” he says with a soft smile. “Reminds me of when we all just got to be friends you know?”

Maia slumps, as does Izzy. Magnus and Alec hadn’t been wrong when they’d reminded Maia that she barely ever spoke to Izzy or Simon, truthfully Simon had been the one to make the most effort and they’d always found excuses not to follow through. She spots Magnus and Alec still whispering to one another down in the pit, Magnus’ hand brushing Alec’s arm affectionately. She’s never been jealous of the couple, only happy for them. They make each other so damn happy and it’s always been an infectious thing she can’t help but smile at. But in this moment she feels a twinge of jealousy because now she can’t even manage to talk properly to the two people she used to have that with when they’re right beside her. She hates the feeling and wills it away as quickly as it came focusing instead on the guilt she feels.

“Look, I’m sorr- “she starts at the same time as Izzy.

“I should apologi-“ Izzy stops looking at Maia and laughing as they talk over one another.

Simon joins in, scratching his cheek as his laughter dies down looking out as Magnus and Aline spar now. Maia looks ahead too seeing Alec not so subtly checking out his boyfriend instead of watching Aline’s ability like he’s supposed to.  

“How about no apologies?” he says looking at them both. “None of us did anything wrong, it just got complicated.”

He’s right, logically she knows he’s right, but it’s hard to reconcile logic with the guilt she feels for largely ignoring them both the past year. She could fight it, insist apologies need to be said and Izzy would do the same, equally as stubborn, but they’d both lose out to Simon’s optimism and willingness to always compromise. It’s one of the things that had always worked with ease to balance the three of them out.

“No apologies,” Izzy says nodding her head in agreement.

“No apologies,” Maia echoes. “How about we start fresh, just three friends in a pit again?”

Isabelle smiles immediately, Simon however looks contemplative before he speaks.

“I like the sound of three friends in a pit,” he says, most likely mentally noting that as a band name. “But not a fresh start, just a continued one, we can’t ignore our past and I never would want to.”

Maia smiles in time with Izzy.

“I like the sound of that,” she says as the other two nod in agreement and suddenly the distance between them doesn’t seem so vast. It’s not the same as it was before, but it’s a start.

***

“Ow,” Magnus says as his back hits the dirt, Aline landing a solid roundhouse kick to his chest.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” she says rushing to help him up.

“Don’t worry about it,” he smiles reassuringly as he lets go of her offered hands to brush the dirt off of his back. “That was a good kick, you’re a fast learner.”

Aline smiles and shrugs, “Mom made me take a lot of martial arts as a kid, guess it’s still in there somewhere just with an extra boost now.”

Definitely an extra boost he grimaces to himself, hiding it from the girl so she doesn’t feel bad as he rubs at the spot on his chest where her boot had landed. He suggests taking five, Aline agreeing moving over to where Alpha has set up an honest to god water station with cups, a jug and even lemons. Magnus constantly wonders where and how he gets these things.

“You okay?” Alec asks walking over, one hand immediately reaching out to rub at Magnus’ cheek affectionately.

“Perfect,” Magnus smiles instinctively leaning into the hand on his face.

“Well I knew that already,” Alec smirks placing a quick kiss on Magnus’ forehead as he rolls his eyes fondly at his boyfriend. “I just meant after that kick, I could tell it hit you harder than you’re saying,” he says a little lower so Aline doesn’t hear, clearly on the same wavelength of keeping the girl’s spirits up.

“Nothing a hot shower can’t fix,” Magnus smirks reaching up to lie his hands flat on Alec’s chest as Alec moves both of his hands to Magnus’ waist careful to avoid any spots that might feel freshly bruised.

Alec hums pulling Magnus in a bit closer, “Any interest in having some company for said hot shower?”

“How else is the shower supposed to be hot if you’re not in it?” Magnus quips.

Alec chuckles the sound always has a way of making Magnus fall impossibly more in love with him.

“Well you were already going to be in there, so,” Alec trails off with a smile tilting his face a little closer to Magnus’.

Magnus could quip back and they could do this for endless minutes but he chooses to tilt his chin up for  a quick but adoring kiss instead.

“Are they always this cute?” Magnus hears Aline say from where she sits on the ground by Alpha.

“Constantly,” Alpha responds sounding a little dreamy in tone. Alec shakes his head and rolls his eyes backing up from Magnus but loosely gripping their fingers together to walk over towards the girl and the robot.

“How are you feeling?” Magnus asks as they approach, Alec untangling their fingers to grab two waters for them.

“Tired, but a lot less freaked out,” she says taking a gulp of water before continuing. “You guys really learned all this ranger stuff and fought an apocalypse off in a week?”

“Give or take a few days,” Alec shrugs as he hands Magnus a cup.

“I’m assuming you slept for a year after that? Cause I kind of want to right now,” she says with a huff reaching out for the fresh cup of water Alpha is holding for her.

“I wish,” Magnus says with a sigh. “Unfortunately, we just had to go back to school the next day.”

Aline chuckles into her cup, then her eyes go wide as she scrambles up gathering her bag to look at her phone, “Oh shit school, I have to get home I have homework to do and if my mom doesn’t physically see me do it, she’ll kill me.”

“Wait, you’re in the breakfast club?” Magnus asks weirdly saying it a little fond. Summer detention may not have been the ideal place to be, but it was where he and Alec were initially thrust together so he has fond memories of it from time to time. Particularly in the days after they’d saved the world, sneaking off midday to make out in janitor’s closets when they were supposed to be having lunch.

“If that’s what you call summer school, then yeah,” she says as she gathers her things. “I had a credit that didn’t transfer over properly so I have to go once a week if I want to be a senior in the fall.”

“Ah we’ve been there,” Magnus says. “Well we were part of the three days a week attendees,” he continues gesturing to the trio chatting on the boulders, who Magnus is delighted to see look much more at ease, then at Alec. “Maia was the same as you, those two for delinquency, this one for credits and myself for absences.” Because evidently a sick mother isn’t a good enough excuse for missing class, he thinks bitterly remembering the less fond part of the Breakfast Club.

“Wow, didn’t know I’d inadvertently joined up with a group of delinquents,” Aline jokes as she shoulders her backpack.

“We had good reason I assure you,” Magnus smiles as he tosses his now empty cup off to the side. Alpha huffs grumbling quietly about not being a maid as he moves to pick it up.

“Well I should go,” Aline says. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Take the day to rest after school,” Alec says as he wraps an arm around Magnus’ waist. “Wednesday we can try the armor out.”

“Cool,” Aline says with a nod. “Armor, cause that’s a thing I totally have now huh?”

Magnus reaches out a hand lying it comfortingly on her shoulder briefly, “It’s weird, but you’ll get used to it.”

“Thank you,” she says earnestly. “I know you probably didn’t all sign up for having your summer’s interrupted with this, but I really appreciate it, I mean this is still insane, but it feels better knowing I’m not on my own.”

“No need to thank us,” Alec says with a smile. “We know what’s it like, we didn’t have to go it alone and you shouldn’t have to either.”

Magnus nods in agreement, “If you need anything you know how to reach us, don’t hesitate, we’re here to help.”

Aline smiles still a little nervously, but genuinely before tossing a wave in the direction of the trio that return it happily with a few goodbye shouts and following Alpha out as he guides her to the exit.

“She’s gonna be okay,” Alec says pulling Magnus closer by the arm still around his waist.

“Yeah,” he sighs leaning back into his boyfriend. “I think she is.”

***

They look happy. And it enrages her. She watches from the street as three of the people she now knows to be the rangers laugh and smile at a table in the diner across the road. The boy lifts a French fry to his mouth that the raven haired one snatches from his hand and he simply laughs. The one with the curls watches with fondness and it all enrages her. Because they took her only friend, the future they were supposed to have as rulers and queens and now they just get to be happy like it’s no big deal. Not for long, she thinks, her plan already in motion.

***

“Well that wasn’t a very successful shower,” Magnus says between heavy breaths as lifts himself from between Alec’s legs and collapses next to him in bed. They’d gotten the grime of the pit off of their skin in the shower and then things had gotten out of hands. Or more in hands technically. Magnus frankly isn’t even sure if they had switched off the shower as they scrambled out, Magnus lifting Alec up and dropping him on the bed. He’s also incredibly grateful his mother has been out for her weekly wine and sushi night with Maryse or else it might have been an entirely too average shower.

“I wouldn’t describe it as unsuccessful,” Alec smiles with a bright grin turning to look at Magnus, his breath as heavy and voice just as affected as Magnus’.

“Fair point,” he says turning over onto his side with an equally bright grin, slinging an arm across Alec’s chest his hand landing just above his heart. He trails his fingers along his boyfriends’ pecs brushing through his chest hair softly. “But we didn’t really do what showers were invented for.”

“I see no dirt on this skin,” Alec says confidently, his fingers brushing over Magnus’ abs, skin still heated and sensitive.

Magnus hums fingers still trailing on his boyfriend’s chest, “Maybe no dirt, but definitely some other stuff now.”

Alec shrugs the best he can in his position, “Guess we’ll just have to take another shower then.”

His fingers brush by Magnus’ navel and Magnus outright giggles which makes his boyfriends grin grow even wider. Magnus knows usually Alec would absolutely continue, knowing exactly what every touch can do to Magnus including the ticklish spots he loves to pull his fingers over and peal laughs from Magnus’ lips, but they’re both too blissed out and a little sore for that so he simply settles.

“Not yet,” Magnus says as his laughter subsides, Alec’s fingers resting on his skin. He scooches closer to Alec not caring in slightest that they’re both covered in sweat and other things, skin still overheated. They rest there like that for a while eventually mustering up the energy to head back to the shower, this time actually taking a shower and nothing else.

Later they curl back up in bed together in nothing but comfortable sweatpants passing boxes of Chinese takeout they’d ordered between one another. They’re quiet for a while, comfortable silence settling between them. Their trip home had started with one hell of a shock, but now it feels like it’s settling.

This doesn’t feel like high school, mostly because they’re not nearly as terrified of their mother’s catching them like this anymore, but it feels a lot like how they spend quiet nights in New York, just with less homework. Lately he’s been thinking a lot about how Isabelle always jokingly calls them husbands, how domestic they are and have been since they first got together, how it’s always felt right between them, like they were truly _it_ for each other. Tonight’s the kind of night that makes him think about the future, about their future.

“Aline seemed to handle everything pretty well today,” Alec says breaking the quiet.

“She did,” Magnus says trading the box of fried rice for the sweet and sour chicken in Alec’s hand. “Arguably better than we all did on our first day in the pit.”

Alec hums in agreement as he chews. “True,” he says after. “But I’m pretty sure I would’ve done a lot better if you hadn’t insisted on wearing tank tops down there all time. How is a man supposed to pay attention when you’ve got those arms, babe?” Alec says poking Magnus in the bicep lightly with his chopsticks.  

“I was wearing a tank top today,” Magnus teases batting away Alec’s chopsticks with his own.

“Oh, I know,” Alec says. “And I was definitely distracted, thank god Aline’s actually pretty good at all this stuff and focused.”

“Well you don’t have to worry about her getting distracted, pretty sure I’m not her type,” Magnus says nonchalantly as he continues to eat.

“Well she’s crazy in that case,” Alec says with a shrug and Magnus rolls his eyes at his completely unaware boyfriend.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, but I mean I don’t think I’m her type in general based upon my gender not so much my stunning good looks.”

Alec pauses with a portion of rice halfway to his mouth, “Wait, you mean…” he trails off.

Magnus eyes widen a bit giving his boyfriend his best, you’re almost there expression.

“Oh,” Alec says dropping his chopsticks into the box. “How can you even tell? We know she’s from California, that she moved here because of her mom’s company expanding and much like Simon can quickly accept the friendship of a robot, that’s not nearly enough information to figure that out.”

Magnus shrugs focusing back on his food, “I just got a vibe.”

“A vibe?”

“Yup,” he shrugs again looking up and patting his boyfriend’s cheek fondly. “It’s okay, I know you wouldn’t know ‘a vibe’ if it punched you in the face.” It’s true, Alec is hopeless at these types of things, even assuming Magnus was just being nice when he’d wink at Alec back before he was officially out and he’d catch his then future boyfriend staring.

“Well, okay,” Alec says clearly just going along with what Magnus says. “Basically, none of us our straight except for Simon so she’ll fit right in.”

“Simon’s not straight,” Magnus laughs a little incredulously.

“What?” Alec says dropping his chopsticks again to look at his boyfriend.

“Oh, come on Alec, he’s basically your best friend, he talks about how he’s never put a label on it officially, yet. He may be in love with two girls, but he’s also a little bit in love with Idris Elba and all men in baseball pants.”

“Simon’s not my best friend,” Alec grumbles always acting like he can’t be because Simon dated Isabelle and Maia and he’d have to kill him if he ever hurt either girl. “You are.” He adds with a dorky smile.

“You’re very sweet,” Magnus says genuinely quickly reaching out to squeeze Alec’s cheek affectionately. “But you’re also completely oblivious, baby.”

Alec sits silently just squinting and staring ahead for a few moments before whispering out loud, “Oh, wow you’re right Simon’s definitely not straight. That conversation about how he found you and I inspiring was definitely about more than our relationship.”

“And the penny drops,” Magnus chuckles digging back in as Alec finally does the same his brief moment of stun clearly over now. He looks over at his boyfriend and smiles knowing this oblivious, beautiful man right here is definitely his future.

***

Aline drops her bag to floor by her desk rushing into her classroom just as the bell rings. She’d been up late finishing her work despite her rush home from the pit.

The day before had been a whirlwind to say the least, discovering she wasn’t crazy was nice, but finding out that sentient robots exist and sometimes the apocalypse is actually averted by a group of superpowered teens just like in every young adult book she’s ever read was a little jarring. However, after her initial panic she’d found a calm in the situation brought on by the kindness of her new friends. Friends? Colleagues? She’s not totally sure what to call them, but they’re nice and not much older than her and she’s pretty sure she’d find a lot in common with them given the time.

She didn’t ask for superpowers, but if having them brings on a group of new actually cool friends who know how boring this small town can be maybe it’s not such a bad thing.

“Hey Aline,” a voice whispers to her right, quiet enough to not disturb the droning teacher at the front of the class. “You’re never this late, everything okay?”

Aline turns to look at the girl beside her, she’s not exactly friends with her, but she is the one person in summer school that Aline’s bothered to talk to since she’s been here. Admittedly it was mostly because the blonde hadn’t really taken the hint when Aline had tried to move seats.

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” she says with a smile turning back. As fine as you can be after finding out you’re a superhero that is. While the Rangers all seem nice, they’re also an extremely tight knit group all tied up in friendship, romances and siblinghood, she suddenly wishes she actually had a friend here that she could talk to even in the vaguest of terms about what’s going on. Maybe she should give forced friendship here an actual chance after all.

“Hey Heidi,” she says earning the girl’s attention again. “You think you’d be willing to help me out with this science after school today, I’m still behind and I remember you mentioning you’d be willing to help if I needed it.”

Heidi lights up with a sharp smile her bright teeth framed with a dark red lipstick. She’s not Aline’s type really, but she can see the appeal and understand why that boy named Quinn who sits near the front always stares at her.

“Absolutely!” she says cheerfully looking downright delighted by the prospect of being Aline’s friend.

Aline smiles back, then turns her attention to the front of the class again. If she can give being a superhero a chance, she can give this girl one too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact Alec and Aline's names when you're typing start to run together, especially in scenes between them, I think I caught all the ones where I mixed them up, but let me know if I didn't :)
> 
> Next time: more Aline, an attack, Magnus and Alec continue to be the cutest, are the trio really just "friends" and can you ever trust any version of Heidi?
> 
> Until then find me on tumblr as usual: alecmagnuslwb


	3. Chapter 3

Wednesday runs smoothly, they don’t try the armor after a particularly tough hit into one of the rock walls, but it goes well enough. Aline feels a little clearer now that she understands just what this power inside of her is. Getting to know the others better helps a little too. She takes to the pit with Maia again and it goes a lot better than before. She likes Maia, not all that long-ago Maia was the new girl in town with less of a connection to the people around her just like Aline and it’s comforting she seems so content now. Or mostly content, Aline’s not completely sure what’s going on with them, but there’s clearly an air of tension between her, Izzy and Simon.

And then there’s Magnus and Alec, who’ve taken her under their wing like she’s their kid practically. It’s ridiculous considering they’re barely a few years older than her, but it’s also something Aline’s never really had before. She’s an only child, who’s stuck to herself most of the time with a somewhat distant mother. Having two people want to look out for her like she’s family is pretty remarkable. Especially when those two people are happy and in love and make her have hope for herself in the future.

***

“Alright,” Alec says standing on his platform like it’s the old days. They’re trying to get Aline to pull up her armor for the first time, she’s standing a little nervously in the spot Alpha usually would occupy while supporting their many first attempts at this very action. While they’ve all done it a hundred times by now without any help it seemed the best idea was to support her as a team so she could get it right the first time. “Breathe and focus on the power inside of you, the power inside of all of us.”

Alec’s eyes are open, focusing on Aline who has hers squeezed tightly in concentration, he glances over to Magnus who is watching her the same. He watches as the electricity runs up Aline’s arms just the way it does for all of them and then at her feet a gleam of green armor starts to form.

“Keep focusing, you’re doing great,” Magnus says as his armor climbs up his arms. Soon enough the five of them are covered, the armor like a second skin, Aline’s just about reaching her waist.

The green keeps traveling up, Aline pokes her eyes open for a second then shuts them quickly again. The trio start whooping loudly and encouragingly as the armor crawls up Aline’s neck. He sees a small smile creep over her lips just before the armor completes its journey.

“Holy shit,” she whispers looking up and down her own body. “I’m a robot.”

“Pretty neat, huh?” Alpha chirps from off to the side making Aline chuckle. The trio gets down off their platforms to stand with Aline, Maia and Izzy both holding her arms as she steps down from her platform. Simon immediately starts teaching her how to bring down the visor down from her face with a little concertation. He rambles on about the indestructability of it and tells her about the old Zords that unfortunately now rest in shambles beneath the town.

“Alright, give her some room to breathe,” Alec says as he approaches.

“You guys had dinosaur cars?” Aline says excitedly. “Do I get a dinosaur car?”

“We kind of broke them,” Magnus says still standing on his platform with a smile. “So, no more dino cars.”

Aline’s shoulders slump a bit but she still smiles as Maia grabs her by the arm to head back down to the pit to test out how she moves in the armor.

Four somewhat exhausting hours later, Alec and Magnus both drop their armor entirely watching as Simon unnecessarily parkours off the walls and challenges the girls to the same. Alec smiles as they all immediately accept quickly sticking landings that have Simon dropping his jaw.

“She really does fit right in,” Alec says as he approaches Magnus his arms easily and naturally slipping around his boyfriends’ waist.

Magnus hums leaning into his boyfriends’ hands, “She does, possibly too well.” He says as he looks over Alec’s shoulder his eyes wide. Behind him Simon says something about being the “master of flips.” Alec tilts them both to watch as Aline flips landing like a cat and sweeping Simon’s legs out from under him with a smile, dropping her armor in one motion before she totally lands as he blusters. Izzy and Maia fall into a fit of laughter, their armor dropping as their shoulders shake and they lean against one another. That’s new, Alec thinks, and promising.

Simon however still lays on the ground groaning.

“I better go help him,” Alec sighs moving to separate himself from Magnus, but Magnus moves first.

“I got it,” he says with a pat to Alec’s shoulder then leans in to kiss Alec lightly on the nose once and two pecks to his lips. Alec watches fondly as he walks away. 

Alec shifts and sees Aline watching them her eyes turning downward when he catches her. He walks over to sit next to her where she’s planted herself on a boulder off to the side of the scene she happily caused as Magnus reaches out an arm to lift Simon up from the ground.

“Sorry if we’re kind of annoying,” Alec says. “We’ve been told we can be sickeningly cute.” He can’t help but sound fond about the fact.

“Oh, it’s definitely not annoying,” she says turning to him with a smile. “You guys are really cute, nothing sickeningly about it.”

Alec nods, waiting quietly as it seems like Aline wants to say more.

“I’m gay,” Aline blurts out a little nervously. Alec may be gay but he’s willing to admit his ability to know if someone else is queer is abysmal if they don’t blatantly say it or wear a pride flag around them like a cape daily. Magnus had been the one to mention it to Alec the other night, suspecting Aline might not be straight, which makes the admission unsurprising.

“Same,” he says with a reassuring smile and Aline laughs.

“That’s only like the second time I’ve ever said that out loud,” she says.

“It’s a powerful thing,” Alec replies. And he knows it is. The first time he’d let himself say it quietly into a mirror it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“It is,” Aline says. “I had a girlfriend back in California before mom got her new job with her company expanding to smaller towns. Her name was Caroline, she was cute, had dimples, we weren’t like in love-love or anything like you guys, but it’s nice to see, reminds me that I guess I miss what she and I had sometimes.”

“I’m sure you’ll have something like that again, or something even better,” Alec says going into big brother mode. He remembers when he had one baby sister, then Maia, now he’s managed to find himself adopting another one he’s pretty sure.

“And how can you sound so sure about that?”

“Because I may have the gaydar of an 80-year-old woman that says ‘those two seem to be very good friends,’” Alec says which makes Aline cackle. “But I’m pretty good at knowing when someone’s a genuine, good person, which you are so I like to believe that you’ll find someone just as good one day.”

“Well thanks,” Aline says. “You really had no idea?”

Alec shakes his head embarrassedly, “Not even a little bit till Magnus mentioned he had an inkling. We’ve got these friends in New York, Catarina and Dot, been dating six months didn’t figure it out till about two weeks ago. Hell, I didn’t know Magnus was bi till he came out at school, I always just assumed that when he caught me staring and winked back he was just being nice.”

Aline’s eyes widen comically, “Wow.”

“Yeah,” he sighs rubbing at the scar on his right eyebrow. “You’d think the fact that my small inner circle here is comprised of not-straight people that by now I’d be better at it, but nope.”

Aline just chuckles again, “I’ve never really had any friends that weren’t straight except for Caroline.” She fumbles over the word friends a bit, likely because they’ve only known each other for a few short days.

“Well now you do,” he says with a reassuring smile. “Plus, as Magnus likes to tell me statistically the older you get the ratio of queer to straight in your friend group rises exponentially, so it’s only up from here.”

“Statistically?” Aline questions.

“I’d say it’s more based on life experience since I don’t think there’s any actual statistics and I love the man but he’s terrible at math,” Alec says with a fond smile. 

Aline laughs again, even harder and Alec knows that yeah, he’s definitely adopted another little sister.

“Oh good,” Magnus cuts in as he approaches dropping down on Alec’s other side. “Finally, someone else understands his humor, so I don’t have to laugh all the time.”

Alec scrunches up his face in Magnus’ direction sticking out his tongue slightly cause he’s a mature adult. Magnus just smirks in response.

“He was actually making fun of you a little bit,” Aline says as her laughter slows. Alec turns eyes wide with a pleading look that Aline just shrugs at, when he turns back to Magnus his eyebrows raise as he playfully slaps Alec on the shoulder. He really can’t win here. They stay like that Alec looking back between the two betrayed on one end and hoping he’s not in trouble on the other. He’s not sure how long he does it, but it’s long enough that Aline shifts the subject.

“He okay?” she says tilting her head in Simon’s direction where he leans against the wall brushing dirt off his armor.

“Nothing wounded but his pride,” Magnus says with a chuckle watching as Simon attempts to scrub off a muddy spot like he’s cleaning a pair of glasses. Alec just shakes his head, despite the fact that they’re armor disappears and somehow magically reappears clean Simon always insists on polishing it as if it’s a diamond. “You did great today by the way.” Magnus adds.

“Yeah?” Aline says with a smile turning her attention back to them.

“Way better than we did when we started trying to get the armor to work,” Magnus says.

“We were a mess,” Alec adds. “Ithuriel doesn’t always inspire calm, so it was tough getting us all to work. You’re a quick learner though.”

Aline smiles again about to speak when Maia calls her over to quote on quote ‘kick Simon’s ass again’ and she eagerly jumps up to do so. Alec watches fondly as his sister backs up Simon and Maia and Aline lunge at them. It’s nowhere near being any sort of actual training, more of a performance that Simon is still somehow losing. Alec looks over at Magnus, reaching out to lay his hand on his knee and squeeze it slightly, who’s watching as well with a small smile and Alec feels content as Magnus lays his hand atop Alec’s. His world is still weird, they’re in a pit training a new friend how to use her alien armor instead of lounging in their backyards having family barbecues, but as long as he has Magnus by his side and the weirdos in front him, he’ll feel content.

***

“You sure you don’t want to join us at my mom’s?” Izzy says as she pulls up outside of Aline’s house. They’ve been so busy the past few days they had barely spent any time with their mom or Magnus’ and tonight they had planned to fix that with a get together, Luke and Elaine even planning to join them all after their shifts at work.

“Thanks, but not tonight,” Aline says. “I need to go to the shops in town to look for a book and my mom’s pretty strict about curfew.” Izzy gets the sense she’s pretty strict about a lot of things. And strict mothers are a thing Izzy is incredibly familiar with. Maryse has made huge strides the past few years with her and Alec, but once upon a time she’d been the kind of mother it seems Aline has to deal with now.

“She’ll come around,” Izzy says with a reassuring smile. “My mom used to be…a lot of things, but believe me a mother’s love can surprise you it just takes time.”

“Yeah, from what you’ve said about your mom she sounds a lot like mine, she means well I know that, the moves just made things weird.”

“I get weird,” Izzy says with a smile. And damn does she get weird, somewhere between superpowers and whatever the hell is going on with her, Maia and Simon, she totally gets weird. Aline shakes her head, saying goodbye as she gets out of the car and rushes inside. Izzy stops at the store per her mother’s request on the way back and uses the little alone time she’s had since being home to think.

Maia and Simon are her friends, for the first time since before they even tried to be together, she actually believes that’s what she can call them. But at the same time there’s still tension she can’t place. She’s caught Maia’s side glances and the way Simon still looks at the both of them like they hung the moon. It’s only been a few days, but she feels like she did almost a year ago when she thought maybe there was still a chance they could make this all work. It won’t be easy, but she wants it to be real. She just has to find the voice to speak up and say it.

***

There they are, happy and smiling again with their family. The closest thing she had to family was Lilith and they took all that away. She’s tired of waiting, tired of building her strength. It’s time to make her presence known.

***

This is what these few weeks were supposed to feel like, calm, comfortable and surrounded by their family. Magnus leans back on the picnic table careful not to catch on the fabric of his navy-blue military jacket style shirt and takes in his surroundings. Isabelle and Simon are off to the side playing cornhole which she is absolutely schooling him at. Maia lounges in a chair nearby watching them fondly as she flips through the radio stations trying to find something good to play. On the other side of the picnic table Maryse and his mother are laughing and talking quietly, a thing that will never stop making him smile.

“Here you go, babe,” Alec says as he sits down next to Magnus holding out a red solo cup for him. Magnus takes the cup as Alec slings his arm around Magnus’ shoulder.

“Thank you,” Magnus smiles leaning in for a kiss that lasts a few seconds longer than he originally intends.

“Awwwww,” two voices ring out in unison from behind them, which halts their kiss instead leaning their foreheads together briefly before turning towards the voices.

“You two are just the cutest,” his mother says lightly clapping her hands together as she says it. Maryse nods her head in agreement leaning onto the table to put her face in her hands with a giant smile. Magnus and Alec roll their eyes at the pair, despite the fact they’ve been together for three years their mothers haven’t calmed down about how cute they are in the slightest.

“Look at that,” Maryse says nudging Ndari lightly. “They even roll their eyes in sync.”

It just makes them do the action once again, not that they’re annoyed. Magnus and Alec are well aware that they’ve been in-sync since the beginning in ways most couples aren’t till years in. It’s another one of those things about them that makes Magnus think about the future.

“Alright, I need another drink,” his mother says turning her eyes to Maryse.

“I’ll come with you, let these two make out in peace,” Maryse chuckles rising alongside Ndari. Magnus watches as the two walk away whispering and laughing to one another like a couple of teenage girls.

“Menaces,” Alec says with a shake of his head. “Absolute menaces.”

Magnus shrugs leaning back into Alec, “It’s nice.”

Alec gives him a small adoring smile, “Yeah, it is.” They turn back to watch Izzy and Simon as Maia finally settles on some local indie station to listen to.

“Hey,” Alec says after a few minutes of comfortable silence. “How about tomor-“

A rustling comes from the bushes that line the backyard behind where Maia sits interrupting Alec’s words, the rustling comes with a shake to the ground the second time when suddenly a large scaled green and black creature bursts through.

“Maia!” Alec yells. He and Magnus move to reach her, Izzy beating them to it as she pulls Maia from the chair and out of the line of the creature to the ground. Almost in sync the three of them activate their armor, Simon moving to pull the creatures attention away from where the girls rise from the ground.

“I got this,” Magnus says putting out an arm to stop Alec as he sees the red armor beginning to trail up his arms and legs. “Go make sure our moms stay in the house.” Alec tenses for a moment clearly wanting to join in the fight alongside them, but relents turning to the rush in the glass sliding doors.

Magnus calls up his armor jumping into the fight as the creature throws Simon off it’s back two large pincers reaching forward to swipe at the girls as Izzy lands a blow to the creature’s center. Magnus extends out an arm helping Simon off the ground.

“What the hell is that thing?” Simon asks as Maia get under the creature, pincers still training in on Izzy. Maia uses all the strength she can to lift it, flipping it back into the bushes. It doesn’t stay down for long though. Magnus rushes forward, Simon at his back as they join in with the girls. Throwing punches and trying to block the pincers that continue to extend towards them. Magnus throws a punch at the creature’s stomach, his hand connecting with more hard shell than anything else.

“This thing won’t go down,” Izzy yells leaping up and around it’s neck. The move just pisses it off. The creature spinning around in an attempt to dislodge her. When it turns a long-segmented tail with a stinger swipes past him and hits the backyard swing set.  

“Oh, great it’s got a tail,” Magnus yells propelling forward to help Izzy as Simon rounds the front to help Maia.

The creature pushes forward gripping a pincer around Simon’s middle and lifting him as Magnus and Izzy punch for a weak spot. Maia reaches up trying to pull him down but the creature won’t let go pushing forward even more to swipe its free pincer at her. She barely avoids it as Izzy throws a particularly hard punch to its right side that makes it flail back violently knocking them off it’s back.

Magnus looks around the yard as they land on their backs spotting the now broken swing set off to the side.

“I got an idea,” Magnus says. “You distract it.” Izzy nods rushing to help Maia keep it busy as it continues to flail Simon around between its pincer. Magnus runs to the swings and breaks a piece of the shattered set into a sharper bit. He moves up along the tail avoiding the stinger and holding steady on the back of the creature. He lifts his arm as Izzy and Maia pull the creatures attention down puncturing the weak spot Izzy found with the fracture of metal in his hands.

The creature lets out a high pitched shriek, dropping Simon to the ground and sending Magnus flying off it’s back again. This time it doesn’t keep fighting though, instead swiping at it’s back unable to knock the metal out of it’s skin turning to run off the way it came at an alarming speed. Izzy and Maia chase after it, returning seconds later.

“It’s gone,” Maia says as she drops her armor, Izzy rushing over to help Simon. Magnus falls back into the dirt dropping his armor as he does so, eyes closing. Of course, of course the first calm day ended up like this. He hears a rush of feet halting by him and dropping down.

“Magnus,” Alec says a little panicked his hands reaching out to touch Magnus’ shoulder gently.

“I’m fine,” Magnus says, slowly rising to a seated position in the grass. Alec smiles in relief, hand moving to cup Magnus’ cheek.

“Was that a giant scorpion?” Magnus hears the familiar voice of his mother say. Oh shit, his mother and Maryse. Alec helps Magnus up, Izzy and Simon dropping their armor quickly as their mothers’ approach.

“So, about this,” Magnus says gesturing out to the battered backyard. “We can explain.”

“We know about the superhero stuff,” Maryse says casually as if it’s no big deal at all. It’s a thing that Magnus and Alec have suspected over the years, their mothers are smart women who could easily put two and two together, but it’s never been said out loud. The admission is still a little jarring though.

“You do?” Alec shouts a little.

“Of course,” Ndari says just as casually as Maryse had called them all superheroes. “We pieced it together after the first event, too many coincidences for it not to be true. Those rumors from your campus’ in New York just confirmed it.”

“And you never thought to mention it?” Magnus says, in the distance he can hear sirens approaching. No doubt the neighbors had called the cops after hearing the commotion.

Maryse and Ndari just shrug. Alec and Magnus share a shocked look then look back to their mothers with a shake of their heads.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way,” Maia says breaking the moment. “Cops are on the way; we need to get our stories straight now.”

“Straight, that’s unlikely,” Ndari chuckles too proud of her own pun.

Maryse rolls her eyes at his mother then shoos a hand at the kids, “It’ll be Lucian, we’ve got it covered. You kids need to go find that thing.”

Magnus really wishes they had the time to comment on Maryse calling the sheriff, Lucian. Alec looks ready to argue but his mother just smiles at them and he seems to understand. Magnus smiles at his mother as well as the group moves to head out through where the creature did.

“We have to warn Aline,” Magnus says once they’re in the alleyway. “If that thing found us, it might be able to find her.”

“I’ll go find her,” Maia volunteers.

“And I’ll go with her, none of us should be out there alone if there’s a giant scorpion on the loose,” Simon chimes in, Izzy nods along with him.

“Okay,” Alec says the leader he’s always been of this team jumping out. “You three find Aline and meet us at the ship, hopefully Ithuriel and Alpha know what that thing was.”

The three shake their heads in unison, Izzy already on her phone trying to reach Aline as they turn in the opposite direction of them. Magnus reaches out to take Alec’s hand pulling him to his car that he still parks in the alleyway out of an old high school habit. He really wishes they were just slipping out to be alone like back then, instead of chasing down a giant scorpion.

***

Magnus and Alec talk to Ithuriel who has one more secret it seems.

“You knew this was a possibility?” Alec yells. He’s done, he’s so done with Ithuriel and his secrets that he claims are for the betterment of them. How the hell are they supposed to protect the earth if they can’t even keep themselves safe when they never have the whole story. They arrived in a rush, Alpha panicking as soon as he saw them. When they told Ithuriel what happened he simply sighed, telling them that the creature they’d seen was a follower of Lilith’s.

“Her name is Scorpina,” he said. And for a second Alec could at least laugh as Magnus mumbled under his breath about the ridiculousness of the names these people have. The moment passed quickly though as Ithuriel explained that she’d been Lilith’s only real friend outside of the Rangers. A doting partner who took on many forms, but in her truest form looked like the scorpion they’d been faced with today.

“I did,” Ithuriel says calmly, ignoring Alec’s anger. “She was presumed dead after Lilith made her attack against us that resulted in the crash. Lilith was thrown to the sea, but I saw Scorpina succumb to her wounds, or so I thought. It seems she found herself in hibernation as well.”

“And you didn’t think that maybe after Lilith rose up from the dead, her BFF wouldn’t do possibly do the same?” Magnus says voice just as angry.

“There was always the possibility, but I didn’t wish to alarm you,” Ithuriel says nonplussed.

“You say that a lot,” Alec says seething. “But what’s alarming is finding out things long after we should know. When Lilith first attacked, we should have gotten the whole story, not an edited version. Dead or alive, the fact that she had an ally out there in the first place is something we deserved to know.”

Alec looks at Magnus his arms crossed defiantly across his chest looking just as angry as Alec if not angrier. Trust is a big thing for Magnus, he’s never given it easily and Alec knows he’s lucky to be the one person outside of his own mother that Magnus has ever had complete faith in. Alec’s lied to Magnus exactly once in the time they’ve been together and it resulted in their biggest fight, the look on Magnus’ face in this moment reminds him a lot of then.

“Are there any other secret followers we need to know about?” Magnus says icily.

“None. Lilith was arrogant enough to believe she didn’t need anything but that staff of hers and the crystal. Scorpina was merely an ego boost,” Ithuriel responds before turning to Alpha. “Pull up any information in the ships databases about her, they’ll need to know her weaknesses for when she strikes again.”

His face disappears as soon as he’s said it, clearly done with the conversation, off to wherever the hell a consciousness attached to a ship goes when it’s not around. Magnus lets arms fall from their defensive stance and Alec unclenches his fists as Magnus nears him. They stand close together and it’s like almost all the tension bleeds out of them just from proximity.

“I’m sorry,” Alpha says quietly as he types something into the ships database. “He always told me that he was sure she was dead.”

“It’s not your fault,” Alec says reassuringly. He means it. Alpha may have every bit of information in his head that the ship has and Ithuriel may be linked to it, but he’s still his own mind with his own secrets. Frankly, Alec believes it shouldn’t be Alpha’s place to always have the answers, that should fall to the supposed wise mentor who knows what he’s doing. “You don’t have to cover for him all time, it’s not your job,” Alec adds truthfully.

Alpha nods, continuing to type away his head lighting up a bit an action that Alec’s come to understand over the years is his version of a smile.

***

Aline ignores the consistent vibrating from her pocket assuming it’s her mom reminding her that her curfew is in exactly two hours. She’s well aware of the curfew that’s been in place since she was twelve thank you very much. She walks past the stores of the main square slowly, a quaint little coffee place, the donut shop and the office space her mother’s contractor company has rented out. Most of them are still pretty new, rebuilt after the sinkhole battle of local legend destroyed most of the area. Local legend that she’s now aware of the whole truth behind.

She stops outside of a quaint little book store called Ragnor’s Reads admiring the low light ambiance she sees through the window. She reaches for the handle deciding to give it a look when a voice calls out her name from across the street.

Its Heidi, blonde hair bouncing in a messy ponytail, her makeup more askew than Aline’s ever seen it. She’s also wearing a large coat holding her right shoulder tightly which Aline finds odd considering it’s nearly 80 degrees outside still.

“Hey,” Heidi says with a wide smile once she reaches her. “What are you doing here?”

Aline notices she’s a little out of breath which makes her question from just how far away she’d spotted her. “I was just about to go in the bookstore, check it out,” she says gesturing to the shop.

“Oh, you don’t want to go in there,” Heidi responds quickly. Aline simply raises an eyebrow for further explanation. “It’s creepy, all sorts of weird old magic books and stuff,” she says then gestures in the opposite direction. “We should hang out.”

Creepy old magic books actually sound pretty cool to Aline and she’s in desperate need of new reading material, but Heidi isn’t so bad. She’d been nice enough to help Aline out after school the other day and in a shocking turn of events it hadn’t been totally horrible. The girls a little over eager, but she seems nice enough. She’s also the only person in town Aline really knows outside of the Rangers, who she may fit in well with, but the reality is they won’t be here forever. Despite her reluctance to it all, surviving her senior year with exactly zero friends might not be the best idea. She’s just about to accept Heidi’s offer when another voice calls out her name. She turns to see Izzy, Maia and Simon all jogging towards her.

“Hey,” Izzy says once they approach all facing her directly. She grips Aline’s arm as she inserts herself between her and Heidi. “We need to talk.”

Heidi coughs, clearly annoyed by Izzy’s intrusion. It’s funny a week ago Aline didn’t know anyone in this town but her mom basically, now she seems to have friends vying for her time.

“This is Heidi, she’s a friend from school,” Aline introduces.

“Hi, I’m Izzy,” she says turning to Heidi briefly with the fakest smile Aline’s ever seen directed at another person. “Sorry, but we have to borrow Aline,” she turns back to Aline smile gone and face far too serious. “There’s an emergency.”

“Like a,” she pauses making a punching motion. “Kind of emergency?”

“Exactly that kind,” Izzy responds. Aline nods looking over Izzy’s shoulder to say goodbye to Heidi and apologize, but Heidi’s no longer standing there. Aline looks around but the blonde isn’t anywhere to be seen. She shrugs accepting that she’ll make up some excuse to what just happened to Heidi when she sees her at school next week.

She looks back to the trio who’s watching her expectantly, “What happened?” she asks as they all move quickly pulling her along with them.

***

Stupid, she thinks as she feels her body bind her wound. It was stupid to let her emotions get the best of her seeing them all so happy. She’s lost the upper hand now; they’ll no doubt go running to their precious former red Ithuriel and learn all about her. They’ll be ready for her next time, but she’ll be ready too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: has the hardest time writing action sequences.
> 
> also me: keeps writing action sequences cause it'd be weird if there weren't any in a power rangers au fic.
> 
> find me on tumblr: alecmagnuslwb


	4. Chapter 4

It’s been nearly four full days since Scorpina attacked and they’ve found nothing. They’ve tried every tracking method that Alpha knows and come up with no leads. Scorpina can hide in plain sight, transforming from the creature they saw to anyone she wants. She could be blending in right before their own eyes and they wouldn’t know it. Maryse and Ndari had managed to convince Luke that the mess in the backyard Thursday night was due to a freak gust of bad weather. Under normal circumstances Alec thinks Luke never would have let the obvious lie slide, but his mother seems to have an effect on him.

While the search has been their main priority, he and Magnus have also continued to train a now definitely terrified Aline. She may have not been there for the attack, but the once completely theoretical possibility of facing down something like this is very real now. As hard as they try, they know there’s no calming her entirely, they’ve been where she’s been and they were just as scared. She’s getting better though, so that’s something.

It’s Monday night now, and Alec is exhausted. The five of them have barely slept, either searching for Scorpina or helping Aline prepare nearly every hour of the day. He lies in bed bedside Magnus who’d passed out the second his head hit the pillow, but he can’t quite get his brain to shut off. Before the attack Alec had been thinking about the future, about the future he wants with the man lying beside him. Now, a formidable foe that’s possibly more terrifying than Lilith with her undivided focus being on strictly ruining them he’s scared their entire future could end up in shambles.

Scorpina wants revenge and revenge can be a more determined thing than world domination. It’s driven by emotion, not power and emotion is the strongest thing in the world. Magnus shuffles a bit closer to Alec in his sleep, rocking his thoughts.

 _We’ve got emotion on our side too,_ he thinks. They have each other and maybe it’s all a little terrifying and he’ll put himself on the line for their family if he has to, but they’re all together and that’s never failed them before.

***

She’s ready. Back to full strength. All she needs is make her play for an advantage. She tried the nice way, but the Rangers got in the way of that. So, plan B it has to be.

***

Sitting through the school day pretending that there’s not an evil scorpion out to destroy anyone who’s a Ranger is unnerving. Alec had assured her that she’d be safe that any of them could be there in minutes if something went wrong. It’s all so real now, the concept of evil aliens no longer just stories they tell her. She’s trying to put on a brave face, train and work to be ready if and when that thing returns, but she’s still scared. How could someone not be?

“Earth to Aline,” Heidi says waving her hand in front of Aline’s face. Aline startles meeting the girl’s eyes. She’d started the day apologizing to Heidi for running off Thursday, but she’d merely shrugged it off seeming preoccupied. “Bell rang, we can go.”

“Oh,” Aline says looking around at the now empty room, she really has been in her head all day. She starts packing up her things, Heidi lingering as she does.

“Are you doing anything after school?” Heidi says. Aline jumps to answer her making up some excuse, she promised the others she’d be at the quarry as soon as school was over, but Heidi soldiers on. “Thought we could hang out since you ran off on me Thursday,” she pouts.

Low blow, but not completely false, though technically Heidi is the one that disappeared on her first.

“I would,” Aline says as she starts slinging her back over her shoulder. “But I’ve got to go home, mom needs for something, said it was important.”

She moves to walk out the door, Heidi trailing behind her. When she reaches the door Heidi grabs her arm spinning her around with impressive strength.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work for me,” she says fingers curling tighter into Aline’s arm, almost painfully. And, okay overeager is one thing, but Aline doesn’t have time for a possessive barely friend. She attempts to pull her arm from Heidi’s grip but it just gets stronger.

“Here’s the thing, I tried the nice way, to be friends, get you on my side, but I only ever had one friend for a reason it seems. I jumped the gun a bit with your friends, so now we’ll have to move on to the threatening portion of the program,” she says the light catches and for a second it seems like her eyes shift from their natural shade to red. “Times up.”

Aline watches in horror as the arm not holding onto her contorts and shifts into a pincer. Just like the photo Alpha had shown them the other day of Scorpina. She looks up into Heidi’s eyes the flicker of red no longer a trick of the light, but fully on display.  

“You’re her,” she says. “But, how- “

“Funny thing about summer school teachers, they don’t pay all that close attention, getting in here was easy,” Heidi explains, her grip unrelenting despite Aline’s attempts to pull. “Finding you was easier, carrying that rock around in your pocket all the time I could practically smell the power coming off of you.”

Aline concentrates trying to call on her armor when the grip on her arm digs in, nails drawing blood.

“Uh, uh,” Heidi says tauntingly. “I wouldn’t do that if I wear you, one wrong move and I’ll rip this arm off and then head over to your house and pay that lovely, strict mother of yours a visit.”

Aline freezes trying to decipher if she’s bluffing, the way she’s gripping even harder and her unblinking eyes tell her she isn’t. She drops the small bit of her armor that’s only made it to her knees.

“Good girl,” Heidi says. “Now, you’re going to take me to them, to their ship.”

“No,” Aline replies instantly. She won’t betray them; they’ve been so good to her she won’t lead this monster right to them.

“Yes,” Heidi replies eyes burning. “Or did you miss the part where I said I’d kill your mother. I’m not playing around here; I know where you live, I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while now. I know where she works. How she always stops at that coffee shop by her office and picks up donuts for you. She may be strict, but she’s trying, isn’t she? Do you really want me to have to snap her neck just because you won’t take me to a group of people you’ve known for a few days?”

Aline gulps, Heidi knows everything, too much, more than she ever told her. She’s been watching her. All those nights after she’d first started getting stronger and felt a presence, she’d thought it was Alpha after meeting him and finding out he’d been tracking her. Now she knows it might not have ever been him.

“Are you really willing to sacrifice your mother for those Rangers? Maia, Simon, Isabelle,” she continues moving her true hand close to Aline’s throat. “Magnus and Alec. Do they really mean as much to you as she does?”

She’s been watching them all. Seemingly overeager, but nice enough Heidi has been watching them all. Because she’s not Heidi, that’s just a name Scorpina took on to get close to Aline. To use Aline against the others. They’re her friends, they care about her, she cares about them. But her mother is her family, her only family. She’s not perfect, but Aline could never live with herself if something happened to her and it was her fault. The Rangers are strong, they’ll be fine even if she catches them off guard. They’ll be fine.

“Fine,” Aline says reluctantly tilting her head back from the pincer threatening to grip her neck. “I’ll take you to them.”

Heidi’s lips curl maniacally, her grip finally loosening as she rips Aline’s bag off her back and throws it across the room. She uses the same still human hand to pull Aline’s phone from her pocket, typing something quickly then tossing it away as well.

“See now that wasn’t so hard,” she says, still sporting that evil smile pushing Aline out the door sharp pincer hand resting directly on her spine threateningly.

***

“Nothing,” Alpha says for the umpteenth time in days. Wherever Scorpina is she’s being cautious, not doing anything to draw attention to herself. No weird sightings, no surges in power, nothing.

Alec huffs angrily he knows this isn’t Alpha’s fault, but he’s frustrated not knowing when or where she could pop up. He opens his mouth to yell, but then his eyes catch on Magnus’ looking at him in understanding. He swallows back his words, turning to the exit of the ship and stomping off his fist colliding purposefully with the wall as he goes. 

***

“I’ll go after him,” Magnus says reaching out a hand to stop Izzy from chasing after her brother. “Stay here, Aline should be here soon.” She had texted them that she would be a little delayed having to stop by home and check in with her mother first

Izzy nods, Maia and Simon already walking away to slump down onto the floor.

When he gets outside, the sun is starting to set. The quarry quiet and still, workers all gone home for the night. Alec’s nowhere to be seen, but when he moves a little further down the rock line he spots a tall figure walking back and forth along the edge of the lake.

“Is your hand okay?” he asks calmly when he gets close enough, Alec’s back to him. His shoulders slump, some of the tension leaving his body.

“It’s fine,” he responds rubbing at it a bit as he turns to face Magnus. “Sorry about that.”

“No apology needed, we’re all frustrated.”

Alec nods, his shoulders slumping a little more. He kicks at the dirt, then folds himself down to sit, legs bent, leaning his elbows on his knees. Magnus walks up to him, tentative, giving him time to tell Magnus if he needs the space. Alec just looks up at him and gives him a small sad smile, an open invitation to join him.

“Why do we always get the storm before the calm instead of the other way around?” Magnus asks slumping down next to Alec on the ground. Alec’s quiet for a moment looking out ahead of him at the lake.

“Do you remember the first time I saw you right here by this lake?” Alec says.

Of course, he remembers that night. It was the night that changed everything, the catalyst that led them right back here today. It was the night that fate brought them all together and sent them catapulting forward into a world they’d never expected. So much had happened in an instant that night, seeing Alec, finding the stones, the car crash. Most of it’s a blur now when he looks back to it, but the one thing that’s always stood out clearly is how tentative and beautiful Alec looked under the moonlight as they had their first real conversation. He says all that aloud to Alec.

Alec huffs a laugh replying instantly, “You’re the beautiful one.” He reaches out entwining his fingers with Magnus’. “That night I was already impossibly halfway in love with you despite the fact we’d said about five words to one another. And here we were really talking for the first time and then before I even could catch my breath our whole world exploded.”

Magnus hums, “Like I said storm before the calm.”

“Exactly, the calm afterwards was pretty damn great. Three years of it really, save for the occasional mishap. It’s not necessarily fair, but we survived the storm once, we’ll make it again and the calm will be even better this time around I’d bet.”

The words don’t quite match with his action’s moments before, but they’re pleasant to hear.

“I’m frustrated,” Alec continues almost like he could read Magnus’ train of thought. “And I definitely needed the fresh air right now so I didn’t take it out on Alpha, but we’ll be okay. Hell, yesterday I might not have said this, but I don’t know I looked at you lying next to me last night and I just knew we’d be okay.”

Magnus smiles at his boyfriend admiring his profile as he continues to look out at the lake. Alec doesn’t look exactly like he did that first night he’s no less beautiful, probably more so truthfully but his hairs a little longer, he’s not quite as skinny with curves and lean muscles in all the right places that Magnus absolutely appreciates, yet the moonlight still has that same effect on him. He’s gorgeous and confident and optimistic and Magnus loves him so goddamn much.

“How can you be so sure though?” Magnus says leaning his head on Alec’s shoulder he likes that he inspires so much faith in the future in Alec, but it’s all so uncertain right now. Alec let’s go of his hand wrapping an arm around his waist instead.

“Because you’re my calm. And because it’s us,” Alec says simply, no room for debate. “And Iz and Si and Maia,” he adds. “And even Aline now, we always make it work.”  

“We do tend to find a way,” Magnus agrees. They lean in closer together, letting the sounds of the rustling wind and chirping crickets wash over them. Take away the looming threat and it’s the peaceful kind of summer night they’d been hoping to have while back home.

Suddenly the ground shakes beneath them, startling them both. Their eyes meet as a loud thunderous fall of rocks and rubble follows, then a muffled piercing screech.

***

Maia watches as Izzy’s shoulders slump looking on as Magnus goes after her brother. She and Simon settle on the cold metal floor heads tilting back against the wall. Alpha shuffles off as well, the quietest she’s ever seen him, into another room.

Izzy joins them seconds later on Maia’s right and sighs.

“He’ll be okay,” Simon reassures. “We all will.”

It’s so Simon to be optimistic like this and maybe it’s unrealistic but it makes her smile all the same. It’s quiet after that the three of them just breathing together.

“I’m still in love with you, both of you,” Maia blurts out, surprising herself a bit as she breaks the comfortable quiet. _What the hell_ , she thinks, there’s a giant scorpion out to kill them all she might as well suck it up and just say how she feels before they get stung to death or whatever.

Simon sits up straighter, back launching off the wall while Izzy stills.

“Wow, I didn’t mean to just blurt that out,” Maia says looking between the two of them. “It’s a lot and I know we’re trying to be friends, which is great and we had our reasons for splitting last year. I know maybe you don’t feel the same and that’s fine, but I just wanted to say it in case we get eaten by a giant scorpion.”

It’s painfully quiet for a moment. Seconds feeling more like hours to her.

“I feel the same,” Izzy says quietly, tentatively.

Simon turns sitting cross legged to face them both, “Yeah, me too.”

And there it is. It’s not all in Maia’s head, the glances and the longing it’s real and now it’s all out there. What they do with that is the question though and Izzy voices just that.

“What we do though?” she says reaching out to rest a hand on Maia’s knee a sparking touch that she’s missed. “We know how hard this could be, that’s why we called it.”

“So, we un-call it,” Simon says like it’s easy and simple even though it’s not. Maia voices that aloud to them.

“Yeah maybe it’s not simple, but why not try?” he says hopeful. “I love school and the friends I’ve made there, don’t get me wrong, and I don’t know about you two but I’ve been miserable this past year without you both.”

“Magnus and Alec are so fed up with me pining,” Maia responds with a chuckle.

“Of course, it’s been the same for me too,” Izzy says. “But that doesn’t mean we can just jump back in, we’re all in nearly three different corners of the country.”

It’s true, they’d had their reasons. Distance would make it so damn complicated to keep the three of them together, but it’s not forever. There’d be holidays and summer breaks and even though it wouldn’t be the same without Izzy there she and Simon are at least on the same coast.

“What if we just did?” Simon asks. “I’d rather work like hell and it be hard, than be heartbroken knowing I could do something about it.”

Maia looks at him, then at Izzy and it’s really no question. They hadn’t fought it a year ago because they thought it was the easier option, but if the way she’s felt this past year is any indication it definitely wasn’t. She wants this no matter how hard it is, Simon clearly does and even though she seems the most tentative she’s pretty sure Izzy does too.

“Okay, so-“ Maia starts when the doors of the ship shift open. Aline steps in, a look on her face Maia can’t quiet decipher until the blonde girl she vaguely remembers from the other night as a friend of Aline’s from school steps in behind her.

“Aline?” Izzy asks moving to stand first, clearly noting the strange look on her face as well.

“I’m sorry,” Aline responds sad and shaky. Behind her the blonde’s face curls with a wicked smile as her body begins to contort. An unsettling cracking sound occurs as her bones move and shift her once human skin shifting into a hard shell, arms replaced with pincers.

Scorpina. Scorpina has known Aline, been befriending her for who knows how long. While they searched and panicked for days she was right under their noses.

She completes her transformation rising to full height, stinger tail swinging violently behind her. Immediately the three of them shift into their armor, rushing at Scorpina in unison. Simon reaches her first, her pincer swiping out at him hard and fast. He goes flying as soon as she connects, his body hitting the wall with a metal crunching sound before he falls to the ground face first. He doesn’t get up, but Maia doesn’t let it stop her from making her own move.

She and Izzy launch at the creature, landing a simultaneous hit that sends Scorpina back a bit crashing into the doorway with a thud that shakes the ground. She recovers quickly rushing at them swiping out a pincer that Izzy ducks, but Maia isn’t as lucky. She goes careening into the wall opposite where Simon lies. Falling into a crumple luckily still conscious. She struggles to stand watching as Scorpina runs at Izzy missing her again and slamming her entire body into the far wall. Everything shakes again, this time bringing the sound of a crash of rubble and rock from outside. Izzy rushes at her back landing the same punch she’d landed on Thursday to her weak spot and Scorpina cries out.

***

Aline moves to help them as Maia finally rises to her full height Scorpina’s scream coming to an end. She jumps back when Scorpina’s stinger swings at her violently knocking a metal bar to curl across Aline’s body holding her in place against the wall just above where Simon is.

She yells, her voice sounding like Heidi’s but with a gravely, echoing tone surrounding it, “Remember what I said!”

How could she forget? One move to help and she’ll do a lot worse to Aline and her mother. She fights every instinct she’s ever had, every instinct that flows through her veins now that’s calling out to the people in front of her and can only watch and pray they can win this fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always find me on tumblr, where I'm ignoring the canon angst and remembering daily that Malec are getting married soon: alecmagnuslwb


	5. Chapter 5

They move the fastest they’ve ever moved as they rush back to the ship. They bust through faced with the back end of the scorpion creature. Magnus spots Aline pinned to the wall, Simon crumpled and hopefully just unconscious at her feet.

Their armor is up in seconds as they watch Scorpina advance on Izzy and Maia. Magnus and Alec split to each side of Scorpina immediately throwing any hit they can to slow her down. Magnus avoids a pincer, pulling Maia to the side so she isn’t hit as Izzy and Alec move around the back careful to avoid the stinger. They hop on her back trying to find another weak spot, Magnus doesn’t know much about scorpions but if she’s anything like a real one she’s more protective exoskeleton than anything else. Magnus throws a hit to what he guesses would be considered the chin knocking her back into the platforms.

“How the hell did she get in?” Magnus yells to Maia as they continue to throw hits.

“Aline,” Maia responds ducking a swing from a pincer. “Her friend from school was Scorpina the whole time.”

Great. Magnus thinks, she was right in front of them the whole time, using Aline and likely threatening her and they had no idea. He throws another swing to Scorpina’s face, connecting with one of her eyes which makes her swing more violently around. This time she gets a pincer around Maia tossing her to the side connecting her head into the wall not far from Simon. Magnus tries to rush to her but the same pincer swings at him knocking him to the ground.

Scorpina rears back sending Izzy and Alec both flying off where they’d been trying to find another weak spot in her exoskeleton. She swings around her tail tossing Magnus off to the far right, back hitting the wall and sliding down. She’s winning this fight he realizes as he lands on the ground. They may be on their own turf but it’s an enclosed space and she’s twice their size with a poisonous stinger.

He moves to stand, a little shaky on his feet as he feels an electric current go through his suit in the back where he’d hit the wall. He watches as Alec and Izzy keep fighting, Alec helping her launch herself high onto Scorpina’s back by her head. Once again it just pisses her off more flinging Izzy forward into a metal bar that snaps underneath the impact. Alec follows, the same thing happening to him as Magnus rushes to their side. Izzy rises to her feet as Magnus helps Alec up.

“Underbelly,” Izzy yells at them picking up the large metal bar and nodding for them to help.

“What?” Alec asks helping her lift the bar anyways.

“There might be a weak spot there and even if there isn’t this metal should be able to pierce through,” she shouts already rushing towards Scorpina. Magnus hefts up the end of the metal shard full speed ahead with the Lightwoods using all of their strength to push it into Scorpina. She moves evading it at the last second, but the metal still stings through her side the loud piercing screech of hers even more violent than it had been before.

They keep pushing the metal through until it sticks out the other side of her. Scorpina swipes at them as the metal pushes through violently swinging at all three of them as blood drops from the wound in large blobs. Magnus gets hit thrown back closer to her tail that swipes out violently at him tossing him to the edge of one of the platforms on his back painfully bending over the edge. He feels his back ache and tries to move up but her tail swings over his head keeping him down. She moves forward at the same time pinning Alec and Izzy each under one of her pincers crunching them around their bodies.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees Maia finally moving, crawling over to try and wake Simon. Forget the possibility Scorpina could win this, she is winning.

***

It all plays out in front of Aline and she’s desperate to help. She struggles against the metal binding her to the wall some of the metal finally giving way as she sees Maia wake and move towards Simon at her feet.

Simon’s head finally rises when Maia gently moves him his visor dropping his eyes looking a little dazed. The metal binding her to the wall finally cracks and even though she knows it could put her and her family at risk she can’t do nothing and just watch her friends die.

She drops to the ground not as graceful as she wanted ignoring Maia’s shout of her name as she runs forward to grab Scorpina’s tail pulling it away from where it dangles over Magnus threateningly. She struggles as the tail shakes her back and forth until she loses grip.

“I told you not to interfere!” she hears the creature she thought was just her friend scream.

Aline lies on the ground the stinger of her tail lingering above her strikes down hard, hitting Aline right in her side. She barely feels the initial sting but immediately feels hazy a buzzing running through her veins as she blacks out. The vague sound of a booming voice is the last thing she hears.

***

“Stop!” Ithuriel screams finally making an appearance as Alpha watches in horror uncertain of how to help his Rangers, Aline fading away and the others not far behind if something doesn’t happen soon. The echoing sound of his voice gains Scorpina’s attention her head curling around to look directly to where Ithuriel’s face now floats.

“You don’t have to do this,” he says as she freezes in place.

“I do,” she replies bringing the stinger above Magnus’ head again. “They killed her; they killed our future.”

“It’s not their fault,” Ithuriel says calmly stilling her actions once again. “They only did as I asked, if you want to blame someone, blame me. Lilith became what she became on my watch, every action after that was because of me.”

“She was all I had,” Scorpina rings out in her shrieking voice. “We were supposed to have it all and now we never can, someone has to pay and it can’t just be you.”

“Life for a life is the only way,” Ithuriel says solemnly. Alpha tilts his head up at the words. It’s been hundreds of years since he heard them an assigned saying that would trigger a fail-safe plan. The ships power core connects to Ithuriel the one thing keeping what little life force he has stable, keeping him alive. If Alpha gets to it and disconnects it he can use it to save Aline, or hopefully save Aline. It will also trigger the ships automatic self-destruct failsafe.

 _This is it_ , Alpha thinks, _my chance to help them, but also the end of it all_.

“She deserved it,” Ithuriel says which immediately angers Scorpina. She turns her whole body away from the Lightwoods letting them go. Alpha catches their eye making a motion towards the door that hopefully they will interpret properly. “They don’t,” Ithuriel continues.

“They do!” she screams. “You all do!”

Ithuriel holds her attention as Izzy moves towards where Maia helps a groggy Simon up. Alpha uses the distraction to sneakily move towards the underside of the center of the platforms where the power core rests. Alec slides along the edge the same way to get to Magnus helping him up as they slide pass where Alpha jumps down.

“Get Aline,” Alpha whispers as Ithuriel keeps Scorpina talking, or screaming would be the better description. “I know how to help her, but we have to put the ship in self-destruct, go, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Won’t that kill Ithuriel?” Alec asks as Magnus already moves over to where Aline’s body lay.

Alpha nods his head sadly, “He knows the price, it’s the only way to stop her and save Aline.”

Alec looks hesitant but nods rushing over to where Magnus carefully maneuvers Aline into his arms. Alpha continues to move quietly underneath Ithuriel only casting him a quick nodding glance as he continues to hold Scorpina’s eyes. As soon as he takes the power core out Ithuriel will fade and he’ll need to move fast, the self-destruct barely allowing them 30 seconds to escape.

He unscrews the panel the core glowing a white blinding light that would probably burn to the touch if he had skin. He reaches out, hand on the core as he casts one last glance to Ithuriel who’s gaze is quickly thrown to where Alec stands seemingly waiting for Alpha before he goes.

Alpha takes a deep breath, or more a deep sigh since he doesn’t breathe and pulls the core from its comfortably nested space. Red alarms blare the second he does, Scorpina spotting him as soon as Ithuriel fizzes away.

***

Magnus lifts Aline’s limp body into his arms as Alec looks back at Ithuriel one last time. They meet eyes for barely a second and he knows this is it, this is Ithuriel’s way of apologizing for lying, for ever being too hard on them. He’s giving up what’s left of his lifeforce to save Aline, he’s giving up the ship that would be his only small window of possibility to return to save them all. Ithuriel nods, the closest to a goodbye he’ll ever give.

Alpha slips the core from under the console, Ithuriel’s face fizzling out. Red sirens begin blaring as Scorpina swipes at Alpha, missing the fast-moving robot. He slides just right underfoot tripping her up as she lands face first on the platforms. He rushes to Alec’s side, Magnus already out the door with Aline.

“Go, go,” Alpha shouts, frantically sliding out as he pushes one side of the sliding doors closed with Simon’s help. Alec gets the other side, Maia helping him push as Scorpina rises back up barreling at the doors. One large pincer reaches through but doesn’t touch a thing as the doors slam shut on it.

The amputated pincer falls heavily to the ground as a shriek even louder than before leaves Scorpina’s mouth. The metal bows from the impact of her body on the other side but doesn’t waver completely.

“We have to get out of here before it blows!” Alpha yells over the scream and the sound of falling rubble. They turn rushing up through the exit in the pit to get to the surface. Alec moves last, ensuring they’re all through safely. Distantly over the cacophony of sound he hears banging on the ship doors, no longer that of pincers but the sound of a more human voice and hand pleading for help.

She’s back to being Heidi it seems, but Alec has no sympathy. Ithuriel is gone, she nearly killed all of them and Aline’s barely holding on. All because she was a Lilith fanatic, disappointed that the world didn’t end and rebuild in her evil image. A boulder falls blocking the path back to the ship as he turns to reach the surface.

“Where was she stung?” Alpha asks as soon as they all reach fresh air a safe distance from where the ship is about to explode.

Magnus lies her down, tilting her on her side where she was hit. Alpha scuttles over moving the core over the wound.

“What do we do?” Maia asks as she drops her armor, the others doing the same as they watch.

“Wait,” Alpha says patiently as the core begins to glow. A bright white light emanating and reaching around and under Aline’s skin for a blinding moment as the ground beneath them shakes, an explosion grabbing all their attentions for a moment as the ship and Scorpina go up in smoke.

Alec looks back to Aline quickly, away from the billowing smoke. The core’s no longer glowing just a basic crystal in Alpha’s small metal hand. She’s painfully still and for a terrifying moment Alec thinks it didn’t work.

“How do we know- “Alec starts as Aline’s body moves taking in a large gasping breath. Her eyes flutter open Maia dropping down next to her first to support her head.

“Did I die?” Aline groans as she attempts to sit up.

Maia shrugs supporting her till she’s upright, “Only for like a second.”

“Oh, that’s new,” she says eyes wide.

“Happens to the best of us,” Alec says with a smile reaching out a comforting hand to rest on her shoulder. Aline’s eyes widen a bit at that, and Alec realizes that when they’d told her about their fight against Lilith, they’d forgotten to mention the bit where he drowned for a minute. Habitually Alec has refrained from mentioning his brief brush with death over the years always aware of the crestfallen look the reminder puts on Magnus’ face. “Story for another time,” he adds as he helps her stand.

In the distance the all too familiar sound of sirens begins to wail.

“Next time you want to be a hero against a poisonous creature,” Alec says as she finds her footing. “Put up your armor.”

“Yes, sir,” she jokes swaying a bit as she faux salutes him.

Alec just shakes his head looking at the others, “We gotta get out of here, don’t think we can explain this one away.” He says tilting his head towards the red and blue lights moving closer.

They rush to their cars, blissfully always parked just far enough away from the ship, Alpha hopping in the passenger seat of Simon’s van with Izzy and Maia, Aline lying down for ‘just a second’ she says as she crawls into the backseat of Magnus’ car with them. They speed off towards the back exit beyond the train tracks. Alec grips the wheel flashing back to that first night when they’d done this exact same thing. Simon swerves in front of Alec as they reach the tracks throwing a hand out the window in apology as they bump over safely. Alec does the same.

Just as his back tires hit more rock and sand, quickly breaking off from Simon and through the always open back gates the sound of a train whistle blows just missing them.

***

They’re bruised and battered, but they’re all alive. It’s been a day since the explosion at the quarry which was brushed off as a construction accident gone wrong. Police presence has slowed down with it quickly being deemed an accident allowing them all to slip back in by the lake one last time.

Ithuriel’s sacrifice has hit them all harder than they expected. He wasn’t always the best mentor, but he’d guided them all the same. Alec grips Magnus’ hand tightly as they stand at the waters edge, the trio and Aline across from them all standing close.

Alpha stands before a smooth looking rock his tiny metal hands chiseling away into the stone. Alpha says a few words about Ithuriel as he chisels his name into the rock. Grand statements about the leader he was and the sacrifice he made.

Alec doesn’t say anything and neither do the others. He’s not sure what he would say, the truth is they didn’t know who Ithuriel really was outside of a stern former leader with a lot of knowledge, guilt and secrets. All Alec really knows about him is that he wanted to ensure Alec never became the same kind of leader he did. He hopes he can continue to live up to that want.

They wait until Alpha’s done moving forward one by one to touch the stone briefly in farewell. The trio heads up the hill Aline not long after, they haven’t gotten to really talk to her since her brief death experience but it’s clear what Ithuriel did weighs on her the most since she’s alive because of his sacrifice. Alpha stomps up the hill behind her just leaving he and Magnus. Magnus walks up first giving Alec a moment as he stands in front of the stone.

He lingers for a moment gripping the edge of the stone until Magnus reaches out a hand that Alec happily takes.

“You okay?” Magnus asks squeezing their fingers together.

“Yeah,” Alec says with a nod of the head squeezing back. He means it, he really is, it wasn’t pretty and the end result was the loss of Ithuriel but they’re alive, they made it just like he confidently said they would to Magnus the night before. “Let’s go.”

They head up the hill pausing for a second when they reach the top both looking out. It’s not just a goodbye to Ithuriel, it’s a goodbye to this place. To the place where they fell in love, where they kissed for the first time and became the heroes they are today. There’ll be no reason to come back to the quarry now, the ships rubble underground, the pit caved in and long gone as well. In a weird way it’s not only a farewell to a mentor but the end of an era too.

Magnus squeezes his hand again pulling Alec away to their car where Aline waits.

***

“So, we never really got to finish our conversation yesterday,” Maia says as they walk away from the lake pausing briefly to look out at the quarry one last time.

Simon and Izzy nod leaning against the side of Simon’s van.

“We left the conversation at a place where it seemed a lot like we were getting back together,” Izzy says.

“That it did,” Maia agrees.

“So, does that mean we are?” Simon asks hopeful, his eyes casting between them both.

“It won’t be easy, but we just survived an attack from a giant scorpion so I think we can handle a little difficulty,” Maia says with a small smile.

Simon smiles back and so does Izzy who holds out both her hands between them. Simon takes one quickly, Maia taking the other just as fast.

“It’s gonna take a lot of effort making this work once we all go back to school,” Simon says.

“Yeah, well, I believe I got some wise advice from our favorite couple a while back,” Maia says tilting her head in the direction of Alec and Magnus who are standing by the edge of the hill. “Relationships take effort.”

“I’m down for some effort,” Izzy says with a smile. Maia and Simon beam right back all moving in a for a long embrace. It won’t be easy that’s true, but it’s doable. What they all feel for one another, what they’ve had and how they’ve all been barely hanging on this past year is proof that they want each other, need each other. They can make this work, no matter how much work it takes, they can make it work.

***

“How are you feeling?” Alec asks as he and Magnus approach her hand in hand.

It’s a loaded question, but she answers as honestly as she can, “Sore, but alive so that’s good.” She pauses, “Maybe a little guilty too. He sacrificed himself for me.”

“He did it for all of us,” Magnus says softly. “I think he knew one day he’d have to; you don’t have to carry that.”

Aline nods her head. She believes him, but she also knows she’ll let this stew for a while. Right now, she doesn’t want to talk about that though, right now she wants to move ahead. Finish school and work things out with her mom. That’s what she wants right now.

“I’m thinking about art school,” Aline says apropos of nothing as she moves to open the car door and get in.

“Art school?” Alec asks intrigued probably both by the subject change and the concept.

“I love to paint, I never thought it was an option before, but well I’m a superhero now so anything is possible,” she shrugs with a smile. “I just need to break it to my mom, that and some other stuff.”

Her near-death experience has her looking forward, she’s nervous, but life’s shortness is more prevalent to her than ever before and she wants to hold nothing back.

***

Second times a charm Alec thinks as he looks at the still slightly battered backyard of his mother’s home. It’s been almost a week since the ship blew up, Scorpina right along with it. Now they’re here trying this whole family barbecue thing again.

His mom, Luke, Ndari and Mrs. Lewis are all chatting with Aline’s mother Jia at the picnic table. Aline had successfully broken the news about her sexuality and art school a few days prior, Magnus and Alec waiting outside in solidarity if it went wrong. It didn’t thankfully, her mother taking it all with stride. She’d left out the superhero bit for now, so Alec assumes the conversation topics happening right now aren’t his mother and Ndari being proud superhero moms.

Aline looks lighter than she has since the day they met, sitting on a blanket with Clary. They’d hit it off immediately, Maia introducing the two as soon as Clary had arrived knowing that if nothing else Clary would have a plethora of art school advice. She’s smiling wide her shoulders brushing with Clary’s and it makes Alec happy to see.

The trio also seem happy which makes him feel over the moon. He’d wanted to fix it, but it seems they’ve done that for themselves. They’re back to playing cornhole again, which Simon is still resolutely terrible at. Alec sees a smile on Maia’s face that he hasn’t seen in a year, a lightness in his baby sisters voice he’s missed and a light in Simon’s eyes that he’s pretty sure a total cancellation of all things Star Wars couldn’t even dim out. They have a hard road in front of them, but it’s one that Alec knows they can handle as long as they stick together. Especially if they can survive this game of cornhole which Isabelle is blatantly cheating at laying down on the cornhole board blocking Simon’s shot and cackling loudly.

Alpha sits off to the side of the game, somehow Simon had convinced all their parents he’s just an advanced toy. He’s not sure if they actually believe it or just willfully choose to ignore the truth, either way he’s happy Alpha gets to be here. He’d lost his home when the ship blew up and they can’t abandon him now.

Alec chuckles at their antics as Alpha throws small pebbles at them to try and get them to stop, the smile on his face growing impossibly bigger as he looks out at this yard full of people he loves.

“What are the odds a giant alien attacks this time?” Magnus jokes as he sits down next to Alec on the stairs to the small back porch.

“Don’t jinx us,” Alec says pulling him in close and kissing him on the head. Magnus just chuckles keeping himself close in the circle of Alec’s arms. They sit quietly watching over everyone in the yard, Luke squeezing his moms’ shoulder lightly as he walks over to the grill, Ndari telling a no doubt pun filled joke that makes Mrs. Lewis and Jia cringe, the cornhole devolving into a playful wrestling match in the grass and Aline pulling out a sketchbook for Clary to look over. It’s peaceful, quiet and exactly what Alec wanted from this summer.

“This is nice,” Magnus says after a little while.

Alec simply hums in response pressing another kiss into his boyfriend’s hair. It is nice, it’s what he wants for the rest of his life, this family, this man beside him. This is his calm after the storm and he hopes it lasts forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again writing fights is HARD, but hopefully it doesn't feel anti-climatic :)
> 
> As per usual find me on tumblr, where I'm just putting season one Malec in my queue to cope with the angst: alecmagnuslwb


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, last chapter!

Summer ends, internships pass and another year flies by right before his eyes. If the fanfare of what happened that summer with Lilith passed quickly, it disappeared at lightning speed after Heidi. Before they’d even left town, people stopped caring about a sinkhole in a quarry.

Alec and Magnus had headed home as soon as their internships had started Maia staying behind a few extra days to spend some alone time with Simon and Isabelle. Much to their delight the three had tentatively worked it out. It hasn’t been easy, Magnus had watched Maia go through highs and slumps of missing them the past year, but through it all they’ve held together, communication being the key that kept them strong with grateful holiday reunions making it all a little easier. Relationships take effort after all, and the three have put in more effort than he’s ever seen.

It’s tough on them, but he’s also not seen them all this happy since high school. He remembers the days when they’d all been so blasé about it, insisting this didn’t have to be the end all be all for them. He can see that’s not true any longer, if Maia and Izzy can still remain endeared when Simon face times them with a new, somewhat terrible song he’s written about them the future is wide and bright for the three of them.

Alpha has shockingly settled into Simon’s life in Boston. With Ithuriel gone and the ship destroyed the robot didn’t really have anywhere to go and staying in Simon’s mom’s basement didn’t seem like a long-term solution. So, Simon has offered him a road trip that turned into a permanent living situation. Magnus isn’t quite sure how no one questions that Simon has a sentient robot running around with him, but he insists that everyone is convinced Alpha is just a high-tech toy that Simon gloats one of his girlfriends created. Alpha’s even managed to learn how to play guitar, he and Simon starting up a strange little band.

They’ve kept in contact with Aline, her adjustment to their small town a lot smoother than expected after the first friend she made turned out to be a giant evil scorpion. They’d gone to her graduation just last week, prepping her send off to a small liberal arts school near the one Clary attends. Clary who from the looks of it at that graduation has been spending a lot of time getting to know Aline better since Maia introduced them. He sees a spark of friendship that could bloom into something more and he looks forward to seeing it all play out.

He and Alec are both done with school for the year, Magnus on track to earn his English Lit degree a semester early, he’s already drowning in grad school applications and his part time assistant position at a publishing house. He’s not completely certain what he intends to do with his degree yet, but a particularly inspiring professor this past year had planted the idea of teaching in his mind.

Alec, meanwhile has committed himself entirely to the student newspaper, on track to take over as managing editor in the fall. Magnus knows he’s stressed about the prospect of jumping into a field that can be tough to make a living in, but he’s a found a passion that can’t be ignored.

Magnus lounges in bed his back against the headboard watching as Alec flutters around the apartment in nothing but a pair of low hanging sweatpants cleaning up, it’s a nice view.

“You know you could help and stop ogling me,” Alec huffs turning from where he’d been dusting the bookshelf on the far wall with his hand on his hips. The position does nothing to stop Magnus from ogling, only heightens it with Alec’s hands highlighting and drawing Magnus’ attention to v of his hips.

“Magnus!” Alec says shaking Magnus from his reverie after who knows how long.

“I’m back,” he says with a smile finally meeting his boyfriends’ eyes.

Alec just rolls his eyes, “So,” he gestures to the apartment. “Helping or ogling?”

Magnus taps his chins a few times in contemplation, “Ogling.” He settles on with a wide teasing smile.

Alec huffs out a laugh picking his way back over to the raised platform the bed sits on. As he moves he picks up Magnus’ discarded clothes that litter the floor. Magnus has a tendency to just throw things where they land and return to them later, whereas Alec, well Alec does what he’s doing right now. Folding Magnus’ dirty clothes into a pile before placing them in the hamper in the sliding door closet by their bed.

He climbs up onto the bed after doing so, clambering over Magnus a little clumsily before lying down next to him.

He rests his arm behind his head turning to look at Magnus, “They’ll be here in like three days and currently our couch is covered in textbooks we need to sell and your jackets.” He says ‘your’ a little pointedly.

Magnus shrugs pushing the covers back and moving to straddle his boyfriends’ hips.

“Three days is a lot of time,” he says leaning down to peck Alec on the lips quickly as he settles. Since summers in Alicante Grove have had the tendency to go pear shaped, or scorpion shaped to be more accurate, they had made a plan to spend the summer in New York this year. In three day’s time Alec and Magnus won’t have a moment to themselves for two weeks. Aline and Clary will be alternating crashing on their couch and their floor, and while Simon, Izzy and Alpha will be staying with Maia in her dorm.  There’s no doubt in Magnus’ mind however that somehow, they’ll all end up in this very apartment most nights.

Alec sits up settling his hands on Magnus’ hips to steady him, fingers slipping under the fabric of his tank top, or technically Alec’s tank top that Magnus stole. He leans in, his lips meeting Magnus,’ tongues curling together slowly and Magnus is pretty sure he could stay just like this forever.

“You’re the one who said we should get this done today,” Alec says leaning back holding Magnus in place so his lips stay disappointingly just out of Magnus’ reach. “You said we have to clean Friday because all weekend we are required to have crazy amounts of sex before we’re strictly stuck to shower sex and quickies for two weeks.”

Magnus groans, it had seemed like a valid point at the time, but with miles of Alec’s bare skin right underneath him and his hair still tousled from sleep he can’t see any good reason for it now.

“Why am I always right,” he sighs leaning his forehead on Alec’s and wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

“The bane of your own existence,” Alec says with a bright smile, drawling out the word bane a little longer than necessary.

Magnus rolls his eyes skyward playfully pushing himself back from Alec a bit, but Alec doesn’t let him go far keeping his hips firmly in place. It’s not like he hasn’t heard some variation of the same joke from Alec a hundred times over the past four years.

“You’re the worst.”

Alec just pulls him in closer and kisses him again fingers sliding to rest under the waistband of Magnus’ silky pajama pants. Minutes, maybe hours pass Magnus really isn’t sure when Alec falls back onto the bed taking Magnus with him. Alec’s lips start trailing down Magnus’ neck when he mournfully makes the choice to pull back.

“This has definitely escalated past ogling,” he smiles sitting up but staying comfortably perched on his boyfriends’ hips.

“I’m fine with that,” Alec says surging up.

“Nope,” Magnus says quickly pitching off to the side before Alec can get his lips back on him and out of the bed. “Time to clean.”

Alec lays there his hands suspended pathetically in the air lamely reaching out to grab Magnus. Magnus just laughs moving to the couch to move the textbooks onto the coffee table for sorting. Eventually Alec joins him, sadly putting a t-shirt on. They work quietly around the apartment, Magnus putting on some music that he sways his hips to. Magnus watches as Alec scrubs at the small kitchen counter and for far from the first time he’s hit with the thought that he wants this forever. They’re lives are still weird, but it’s still their life, together. They’ve already started talking about what they’ll do after graduation and not just in terms of their careers. Once or twice, as causally as he possibly can under the guise of a joke more often than not, Magnus has floated out the idea of getting married one day.

It’s not a requirement. He’d happily spend the rest of his life unmarried as long as he still had Alec by his side, but there’s something nice about the concept of calling him his husband. They’re young, too young some might say both just barely over 21, but they’ve been through more together in four years than couples that have been together decades. They know who they are, what they want. Magnus definitely knows. On some level he’s known since that first kiss by the fire when they were just a couple of kids who had fresh, new super powers; the last year though the thoughts have gotten more specific. Matching silver bands on their fingers, a new home with a little more space, maybe even kids one day down the line. He wants it all with Alec. 

“Marry me,” Magnus blurts out, not even forming it as a question, the words surprising him. Alec’s head jerks up from counter and he stills. It’s painfully quiet.

“Never mind,” Magnus scrambles turning to busy himself with books he’s already gone through, but suddenly seem incredibly interesting. “Let’s imagine I didn’t say anything.”

Behind him Magnus hears the snapping of the yellow gloves Alec had been wearing coming off, the running water shut off and then Alec’s soft footfall approaching him. Hands settle lightly on hips turning him.

“Do you mean it?” Alec asks quietly almost like if he speaks too loud he’ll shatter something, shatter the moment. Magnus can’t quite meet his eyes focusing on a fixed point on Alec’s white t-shirt.

“Maybe,” he says crossing his arms. Alec’s not having any of it though, he moves his hands to uncross Magnus arms threading their fingers lightly. He reaches up using their joined hands to turn Magnus’ chin, eyes finally meeting. Alec’s eyebrow is raised, eyes squinting a bit in question.

“Maybe?”

Magnus takes a deep breath, he’s fairly certain that despite his abrupt ask, Alec’s response will be positive that doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking though.

“Okay, definitely.” He holds eye contact, determined not to look away. Alec’s smile grows wide and bright, the kind of smile he’s only ever really seen directed at him.

“Yes,” Alec says a little breathless the smile never leaving his face.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Alec giggles, outright giggles pulling Magnus in for a kiss that’s more smiling than kissing. Magnus squeezes Alec tight holding on with the intention of never letting go. “We should get married.” Alec says after a little while.

“I believe we just established that,” Magnus says smile refusing to leave his face as he pulls back.

“No, I mean, yes, but,” Alec pauses licking his lips clearly mulling over an idea in his head. “What if we just got married, like now?”

“Now, now?” Magnus says making sure he understands Alec.

“Well maybe in a few hours,” Alec shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I mean we should probably get dressed first, but then Atlantic City is about a three-hour drive, find some rings and the least cheesy chapel we can.”

Magnus loves the sound of it, but asks anyway just to be sure, “You’re serious?”

“Completely,” Alec says confidently. “Long as we make it back by Monday afternoon.”

Monday afternoon, right, when their circle of friends will all be arriving.

“What about your sister? And our friends?” Magnus prompts, it all sounds romantic and lovely but there’s a group of people who might outright kill them if they did this without them. “And Maia’s here, she’ll wonder where we went.” He continues on when the most striking thought hits him. “Our moms? They’ll most definitely murder us if we get married without them there.”

Alec just shrugs, “Maia has shifts at the bar all weekend, she won’t even notice we’re gone. And we’ll make it up to Izzy and the others later. Have a real ceremony back home sometime, we’ll even give our moms free reign to plan it as they wish.”

“Alexander…”

“Plus,” Alec adds. “We’re all about to be in the same space for two weeks, and historically there’s a chance that means we’ll be attacked by a giant seabass with tentacles or a maniacal wizard, so why not now while it’s still calm.”

He’s reminded of the conversation they’d had last summer about how their lives were always storm before the calm and thinks that Alec has a point. They may have to fight another fight one day, this time without the safety and comfort of the ship and the pit, just them and the power they share. Hell, one day they might even come up against a fight they lose. But right here, right now, they’re in love, they’re young and they have nothing stopping them from doing this.

“If you really don’t want to, we can wait,” Alec says filling the silence as Magnus thinks for longer than he intended. “We can do it the official way, wait till we’ve both graduated.”

“No, let’s do it now,” Magnus says without hesitation. They can do this today, enjoy the weekend then surprise their friends on Monday with the news. Their mothers might be a little upset at first, but he knows if they’re given full control over throwing a whole party for them down the line and sent lots of flowers sporadically in the coming months all will be forgiven.

“Yeah?” Alec says biting his lip.

“Yeah, I’m sure, you’re sure, let’s do it,” Magnus says with a quick kiss to Alec’s lips his mind already picking out the best outfit for the occasion.

Six hours later and some change after a stop at a jewelry store for some simple silver bands and signing a few papers, Magnus and Alec stand hand in hand in the first chapel they can find that doesn’t have an Elvis as the officiate. They exchange vows, words they’ve said a million times in a million different ways. They say I do and smile into the first kiss of the rest of their lives.

In a few days they’ll have to make announcements and start the apology tour with their moms. In due time they’ll do this again with their family all around them, but tonight is just for them. Tonight, they’re Magnus and Alec Lightwood-Bane, ridiculously in love soon to be college graduates, superheroes and husbands. Magnus really loves the sound of all that.

***

Alpha looks down at his phone and his head lights up fondly, legs swinging back and forth off of Simon’s bed in his dorm. Ten minutes ago he’d received a selfie from Magnus and Alec, their left hands turned to face the camera, shining rings on their fingers. Alpha’s so proud of them and so honored to be the first to hear the news.

His rangers are growing up, college and careers and even marriage before them. One day they may be needed again to save the world, some evil will strive for power and they’ll need to be the Power Rangers again. And some day long after that another generation will rise in their place. But right now they’re his rangers and their lives are just beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they lived happily ever after and fought some crime and adopted at least 4 kids :) And the trio also lived happily ever after and I totally implied Clary and Aline got together cause that has potential :)
> 
> A HUGE thank you to everyone who's stuck it out with me on this weird little idea I had. When I first came up with this it was going to be a flufftober one-shot and it turned into all this instead. Y'all reading and commenting has meant so much to me and kept it going! 
> 
> Seriously, though thank you all again so much for reading and loving this strange little au of mine. 
> 
> Until the next fic, well you probably know where to find me by now on tumblr: alecmagnuslwb


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